


on the top of the fucking world

by harajukucrepes



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crimes, Basically there's just a lot of stuff, Bottom!Ten, Breathplay, Car Sex, Crime Fighting, Crossdressing, Crossdressing Kink, Espionage, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, One of the characters crossdress yes, Phone Sex, Pool Sex, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, There's like ...a lot of porn...A LOT, Voyeurism, bottom!Yuta, bottom!taeyong, mostly in later chapters, set in an unspecific location so it's all just imaginary, there are some pretty nasty people in here even from random unnamed characters, which means that this is a very vulgar work (well....)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28082430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harajukucrepes/pseuds/harajukucrepes
Summary: Yuta has now decided that this is it—this is the man he has decided would be his undoing.or,Yuta is a criminal and Jaehyun is a cop and somewhere in between porn happens.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Lee Jeno & Mark Lee, Lee Taeyong & Nakamoto Yuta, Mark & Haechan
Comments: 98
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- so i wrote this stupid thing over the course of 4 fucking months, all because [hibouxx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibouxx/pseuds/hibouxx) and i were joking about it and then what started as a fun one-shot became a long, convoluted thing that is now clocking at 35k  
> \- as mentioned on the tags, this fic is just mostly a lot of *explicit* actions so i promise you that i tried my best to make everything make sense but the point of this is just for the, well, erotic parts of it  
> \- this would be, unfortunately, my first chaptered fic and it's a completed work and I'll be posting the chapters once every 5 days  
> \- thank you so much in advance for enduring this
> 
> \- also thank you to [hibouxx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibouxx/pseuds/hibouxx), for without her kicking me in the butt i would have given up writing this thing

*

on the top of the fucking world - chapter 1

*

**_day 90, before midnight_ **

The blinding yellow lights shining pointedly at him, the deafening sirens blaring victoriously—it’s clear that all escape routes have been closed to him. 

“Ah,” he says, “I’m done for.” 

Jaehyun points the gun at him right between the eyes. 

_You got me._

  
  
  
  
  


**_day -10_ **

Between District 57 and District 108, the choice is a no-brainer. 

District 57’s mayor used to be the deputy chief police for District 69, where they were at approximately two years back. Taeyong distinctly remembers the deputy chief glaring at him as he made his escape at the back of the motorcycle towards the valley while Yuta continued provoking him by throwing the blonde wig he had used throughout their time in the district at his face, dismantling the deputy chief from within as he was faced with the revelation that the “woman” he had been actively pursuing was, in fact, a man and causing him to yell out endless profanities to both hide his embarrassment and declare his determination to exact revenge. In comparison, District 108 is probably going to be a lot less eventful which should make it perfect as their next target, except for the fact that it’s the district where Haechan and the hacking servers are, so the proximity to him means that they would have to be extra careful with how they navigate around the townscapes. 

Yuta however, wants the third option. 

“I thought we were supposed to go here last?” Taeyong protests. District X is also the capital city, which means that they are going to be pretty much sending themselves right into the lion’s den that is the police headquarters. 

Yuta takes a bite from the pretzel stick before collapsing loudly into the beanbag sofa and throws Taeyong a packet of his favourite dried potato. “Look at what Haechan just sent us,” he says, referring to Haechan’s new email. 

Taeyong tears open the snack, clicks on the file Haechan sent them and finds himself face-to-face with a set of pictures of men he assumes are plainclothes officers, even though some of them are so grotesquely good-looking that they could be mistaken as models in policeman outfits. 

“What the fuck,” Taeyong blurts as he goes through the pictures, clicking at each people to enlarge them with increasing disbelief, “you mean to say these are actual police officers?”

“I know right? I did have my reservations, so Haechan went to get more pictures and made sure to catch them with their badges on,” Yuta explains while mindlessly examining the pretzel stick packaging, “so it’s confirmed, those are real stuff. Suckers really be hiding the real deals in the headquarters.” 

Taeyong scrunches up his forehead in deep thought. “Do you think they did this on purpose?” 

“What? Hiding all the most fuckable ones in one place?”

“Yeah, considering our reputation and all,” Taeyong agrees, mentally recalling all the embarrassing things they had subjected the policemen and other high-ranking government officials in other districts with. “The way we got them all because they were too horny?”

“So now they are going to make _us_ horny instead, I see how it is,” Yuta laughs then rises up towards the computer table, picks up the half-smoked cigarette from the crystal ashtray they took from the residence of District 34’s police chief and snatches the half-bitten piece of dried potato from Taeyong’s mouth but before Taeyong could object, Yuta clicks on the mouse and directs the computer screen to this one exceptionally handsome policeman with beautifully chiseled cheeks and dangerously sharp jawline. 

“What about him,” Taeyong asks, though it’s not like he needs the answer anyway. The man on the computer screen pretty much checks out all of Yuta’s preferred type. 

Yuta’s eyes sparkle as brightly as his grin. 

“I’m going to get him to suck me dry,” he says under his breath. 

Taeyong snorts and shoots Yuta a look of mock skepticism before patting him on the shoulder. “Good luck with that,” he says and throws a dart towards the point in the map on the wall to mark their next conquest. 

Yuta takes a huge puff of the cigarette before turning Taeyong around and pushing his tongue inside his mouth for a nicotine-laden kiss. 

“Say that to _him_.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day -100_ **

John didn’t know how it feels to carry a heart so heavy that it sinks his mind to the ground until this moment now when he has his badge pinned on the desk under his palm. 

“You know that’s a futile gesture, don’t you?” the deputy chief says. “If he remains oblivious about how close he is right now to demotion, even _you_ won’t be spared from this.” 

John hates it when the higher-ups treat him like this, like he’s unclear about the expectations put on him and like he’s unaware how much he’s putting in line to protect his subordinates. 

“My squad is my lifeline,” he declares. “One more chance is all I ask.” 

He takes his leave just as the room breaks out in reluctant murmurs of agreement and sees Jaehyun waiting for him in the hallway. 

“Captain,” Jaehyun begins and John cuts him halfway, because he has heard it over and over again and no further iteration will change his mind. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he says, carefully choosing words that he hopes would be able to offer some comfort and also because he truly believes in them—that Jaehyun didn’t do anything wrong when he made that shot that caused the illegally trafficked girls to escape and the Minister of Transportation to be caught red-handed in bed with that actress who has just recently been his mistress. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 3, after lunch_ **

His beloved detective is so much more handsome up-close that it’s driving Yuta almost to the brink of insanity. 

Haechan’s initial scouring found only two separate records of Detective Jung Jaehyun ever dating anyone in his life, both sourced from the deleted social media posts of the girls he was dating and both having happened during his years in high school, so Taeyong had no choice but to conclude reluctantly that the Detective is either a very good at hiding his dating history or a staunch celibate—either way it excites Yuta so much to undo him that he almost overdid the make up, even if it does achieve the effect nonetheless that he can follow the plan per his usual strategy of acquaint, distract then catch: deliberately bumping into the target (in this case, obviously, the handsome policeman he had handpicked out of the entire police department) with a cup of takeout hot coffee to be used as a tool to facilitate the act of imprinting his face on the target’s memory, then appearing on a non-lethal crime scene (that he will, of course, be orchestrating), then have him suspect him enough to follow him and finally, boom. 

The first part of the plan is going a little too well that it surprises Yuta, because others of lesser importance have reacted worse—law enforcers and their overblown sense of importance—when confronted with a cup of hot coffee staining their clothes and scalding their skin, but Jung Jaehyun merely takes a step back and holds onto Yuta like an erudite gentleman of a bygone era. 

“I’m sorry,” the detective says, making history as the first among all Yuta’s targets that didn’t start with _WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!!_ before leering at his long legs, slightly exposed chest and the long hair curtaining his graceful neck. “Are you alright?”

The experience feels a little like being showered in indulgences, because the detective’s chivalrous demeanor seems to have awakened the dormant butterflies inside his stomach and something about the way the dimples on the detective’s face deepen as he fixes his eyes on his face is making Yuta realise that this instantaneous explosion of chemistry is definitely not brought forth by the fact that the dress he’s wearing is hugging his curves a little too uncomfortably and that the rose-scented perfume on his body is a little too strong to be used to start the beginning of a _casual acquaintance._

“I’m fine,” Yuta replies to him after a few seconds of manufactured awkwardness (a skill he has mastered to perfection) in a voice just slightly softer than his normal one.

“Be careful,” the detective smiles amicably, the eyes that are observing him still remain firm yet refreshingly devoid of lecherousness. 

Then Yuta returns the smile with a coy one of his own, careful to tilt his head slightly to the right so that the mole below his eye on his left check would be visible to the handsome detective and slowly tucks his long hair behind his ear. 

“Thank you,” he says, then waits for 3 seconds after the detective has turned away from him before calling him back. 

“Yes, m’am?” Jaehyun says and Yuta finds his heart jump a little. 

“We’ll meet again,” is all Yuta says before going in the opposite direction, fully confident that his prettily manicured fingers have now formed a vice grip on the detective’s heart.

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day -5_ **

The death of a detective, John is probably going to say, begins with the demise of the heart. 

Jaehyun has heard this over and over again—a few times from his uncle, once from the chief when he was attending the ceremony where he received his Medal of Valour, then a few more times from when the lieutenant colonel was bemoaning about their drop in case closures and now, possibly from his captain who is carefully pouring the wonderfully-chilled wine into his glass after they finished their 5-course dinner at his place. There’s no doubt on why he has been invited to his direct superior’s apartment that night for a nicely cooked meal, because his deteriorating performance is directly impacting the squad’s record and it won’t be long before a tangible action takes place. 

To his pleasant surprise however, John has no such intention. 

“Just because everybody seems to be suspecting you,” he explains, “it doesn’t mean that I do.” 

Jaehyun has trained himself to be cautiously comforted by calibrated compliments, but John has never really been just a direct superior to him. He has also been a senior back in school, a buddy back in the academy, all around friend—maybe a little more than that, Jaehyun thinks, recalling those strange times in the academy where he once thought he had some funny feeling whenever he was around him that disappeared once they experimented for a little bit before John graduated—and pretty much the big brother he never had. More than anyone, John knows that _his_ words carry weight with Jaehyun and that’s why he’s the only one suited for this conversation. 

“You know better than to ask me to go get a girlfriend,” Jaehyun snickers. 

“Not a girlfriend if you don’t want to,” John laughs. “Whoever you like. Get some new experience or something. I can ask Ten to help.” 

Jaehyun toasts to him politely. “I’m fine and you can report to the major that I got your message.”

“I’ll get in touch with Ten anyway,” John winks. “It’s been a while since your last one.”

“I can actually live without it for real,” Jaehyun laughs, because while he understands the psychological benefit behind John’s suggestion, he didn’t think that it would be a good idea to be “giving in to the dark side” and leaving himself vulnerable for blackmail, especially when the upper echelons of the police seem determined on having him on their watchlist, ready to discard him at any sign of misconduct. 

“You know you can trust Ten, don’t you? He has never failed to bail us out before.” 

Ten has done enough for them in their steady rise from a fresh recruit to seasoned detective to earn their absolute, uncontested trust—but a crime journalist transacts information like a currency and Jaehyun would never let anyone have that much hold on his privacy. 

This time around, however, he has a gut feeling that something good might transpire, so he decides that maybe there’s no harm in heeding John’s suggestion and seeing what Ten could offer. 

“Just this once,” he says. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 3, evening_ **

Jaehyun doesn’t like telling people that he prides himself in his strong sense of smell because it makes him sound like a human dog, but his relatively superpowered nose has brought him nothing but answers in all his past successful cases, so he’s going to trust his nose again this time around and follow the rose-scented mysterious woman that has appeared twice within his vicinity in the past 5 hours. 

It’s not the kind of face or body that anyone could forget—big, large brilliant eyes and thick, heart-shaped lips, then slim, athletic body with perfectly round butt and Jaehyun has seen many of his co-workers passing around pictures of similar kinds of womanly figure to show off their conquests of past, present or future—and he supposes that the woman must be used to unwelcome attention because she walks really fast and with her eyes looking steadfastly at directions ahead of her with a rather tall pair of heels and it’s taking all of Jaehyun’s skills in stealth and concealment to hide himself so that neither the woman nor her active oglers take note of him. 

He has now followed the woman way past his normal working time, but he’s justifying the extra hours by mentally reciting all the irregularities of the woman’s appearance in his life: first, it’s the fact that she appeared at all with the aura of one who has oddly inhabited the city as long as _he_ does, because he has patrolled around the city enough that he’s able to tell the tourists, the temporary visitors and the new residents apart from the locals and incidentally, the woman fit into none of the category with her strange familiarity with the ways around the city and it makes Jaehyun feel like someone has just implanted the existence of this very beautiful woman into city’s consciousness just the day before; second, it’s the fact she told him that they would meet again in the afternoon after he bumped into her and had her coffee spilled onto his shirt and pants and then _really meeting_ her again at the scene of a petty crime with an affluent woman almost getting mugged and had to be defused before she writes a complaint to the police department’s social media for ruining her thousand-dollar bag; and finally, it’s also the fact that in that the few hours of following her, she has attracted no less than ten pairs of perverted eyes and half of them are on the dancefloor in this club right now, grinding up against her waiting for a chance to put their hands on her and Jaehyun is feeling like he should be watching her a lot more closer than he has to, because nothing good comes from any one of these irregularities, let alone three of them. 

He walks to the bar and drops some cash on the counter for a glass of martini and watches as his stomach recoils when the woman starts reciprocating a guy's advances by letting him touch her butt as he bends slightly to bury his nose into her collarbone and starts kissing her ferociously. Jaehyun finds himself gripping the glass harder but stops in his tracks because the woman clearly seems to be enjoying this, hands moving from the guy’s shoulder to the neck and her lower body angled towards him as his palm sneaks under her dress. For some reason that Jaehyun is hoping is related to the alcohol, that part between his legs start getting excited and he’s starting to understand the underlying message behind John’s innocuous suggestions—he really has left the needs of his buddy down there get a little too unattended to and it’s amplifying his work frustrations. 

Then the beautiful woman starts lurching away as the kisses get a little too intense and Jaehyun is guessing that the guy has gone too far, and so he thanks the bartender with a quick nod and slowly slips himself into the crowd of drunk dancing people and continues to keep an eye on the woman who’s obviously wiggling herself from the man’s grip and just as the woman is within his reach, the lights go out and the music stops. 

There’s a resounding loud gasp—then the music restarts again as the DJ speaks softly to welcome the crowd into the club’s routinely scheduled romantic mood for the night (that frequent goers definitely know, Jaehyun thinks, considering the lack of panic at the sudden darkness) and urges them to find a partner for this moment of a brief pause and suddenly Jaehyun finds his neck wrapped in a pair of hands belonging to a rose-scented body and a voice that worms itself into his ear. 

“I’ve been waiting.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 0_ **

It’s rare that the chief himself is actually insisting to attend the new case briefing for a non-homicide, so Doyoung knew that he had to read up on the Benevolent Bandits to understand the fuss—only to end up feeling extremely exasperated by his findings because not only are the Bandits extremely childish in their approach, it’s also because of the fact that they have evaded the major press attention solely because of the unflattering publicities they would give the “victims”. 

“In some districts, they went for the town sheriffs or county clerks,” Jaehyun, his fellow detective, reflects from the notes Doyoung has prepared for an impromptu pre-briefing discussion, “then in some other districts they went for the ranked police officers and the judges, or mayors and cabinet members. Mostly politicians, law enforcers and judicial officials.” 

“Literally a pair of mischievous terrors,” Doyoung hisses, his resentment strangely not directed at the criminals in question. “But they really thought the whole thing through, didn’t they? Because the showy nature of their modus operandi overshadows the fact that some of the stuff they stole were all priceless antiques.”

“And because the antiques always reappear in the other districts, they conditioned the police to chase after them for harassment instead of for theft,” Jaehyun adds on, the expression of his swiftly morphing from contemplation to admiration. “That’s kind of really smart of them.” 

“What confuses me the most is how those people keep falling for them,” Doyoung wonders out loud. “If the reportings around the country are right, they would have been actively operating for at least 5 years now, and that’s 5 long ass years to get used to their tactics—are those people working in the government and the police really that dumb?”

“You’d never know,” John interjects as he enters the discussion table with a cup of hot americano. “It might be easy to assume that it’s all honey traps because of how depraved the attacks are, but what if their methods vary from one to another?”

“That’s what I think,” Jaehyun agrees. “We are dealing with some really intelligent people here.” 

A loud, yet hushed whisper from across the room signals that the envoy consisting some of the highest ranking law enforcement officers in the country are fast approaching and because the discussions between his squad members are abruptly cut off, the lingering discussion points got his mind squarely—and unfortunately—in the gutter and he can’t help but stare at each of his superiors one after another, wondering which unfortunate soul in front of him is has the biggest risk of being involuntary pornstars. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 3, night_ **

Yuta wishes that the song will never end, because it feels so good to be swaying in his beloved detective’s arms to the sensual jazzy beat and leading him throughout the song with his head on his shoulder, drinking in his scent, a delicious mixture of his cologne and the coffee that he spilled on him this afternoon. He’s also wishing that Jaehyun would be a little less gentlemanly and start touching him already, because he can’t believe that after all that he has done to pique his interest, it seems like it hasn't been enough to awaken his carnal desires. 

“So he wasn’t forcing you?” Jaehyun asks and Yuta starts playing with his tie. 

“Do I look like someone who’s that easily taken advantage of?” 

“No, but you did look uncomfortable.” 

“Is that why you came over?”

“I thought you could use some help.” 

“I do,” Yuta says, loosening the tie in his fingers and then tugging at it so that Jaehyun bends to meet his face and their lips are less than an inch from each other. “I do need some help alright.” 

As their lips meet, the DJ revitalises the dance floor with an heart-thumping EDM track but Yuta hears nothing as he presses in to the kiss and he knows that he has finally managed to convince Jaehyun to give in because Jaehyun’s hand is now trailing at that erogenous area behind his ear and pulling him so close that their crotches are pressed together so hard that Yuta is wondering if Jaehyun would balk away anytime now that the secret is going to give itself out soon. Judging from the increasing desperation in the kiss though, Yuta can now confirm back that Jaehyun really is into this kind of game, the cat-and-mouse chase and the puzzle-solving and the unfolding mystery, that he wonders if it was the elaborate game that got to him or just the sight of him—and then Jaehyun indulges himself with his curves and Yuta’s chest swoons with excitement. 

So, to conclude the first game, Yuta decides to declare Jaehyun as the winner by running his hand down his body then palms his erect crotch to arouse him into letting out a gasp into the kiss and trapping his breath in his throat, making a sound so pleasant to Yuta’s ear that he breaks the kiss to savour the sight of Jaehyun visibly having his mind blown at this impossibly voluptuous overture, then takes the liberty of capitalising on Jaehyun’s momentary daze to lick his cheek slowly, just enough to prolong his state of daze, then suddenly pushes him away to drown him into the crowd before making his grand exit. 

A few minutes later in the bathroom of the establishment next door, before Yuta changes back into his normal clothes, he closes his eyes and let the sight of Jaehyun rushing towards him in abject urgency swim under his eyelids as he spills generously into the toilet bowl, with the euphoria derived from his latest success penetrating well into his dreams when he sleeps. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 10_ **

In spite of his notorious reputation for taking frequent cigarette breaks throughout the day, Jaehyun doesn’t really smoke much and neither does John—the boiler room just happens to be perfect for strategic discussions. 

“So,” John starts as he lights a Malboro stick, “think you got the right guy?”

“Yea, I was this close to getting fooled but that’s our guy definitely. The tell-tale signs are all there.” 

“The fuck,” John chuckles, “they almost got _you_?”

“Even _you_ would be fooled,” Jaehyun laughs. “It was a very convincingly gorgeous lady. And since it was supposedly arranged by Ten, you know?”

“So it’s indeed true that they usually don’t even bother hiding or blending in.” 

“That’s the thing though,” Jaehyun argues, a finger poking around in the air as he focuses his thought process on a point of sequitur, “they _have to_ stand out in order to catch the attention of whoever they are targeting and then in order to be successful they have to make their presence as unnatural as possible—I think we now know why their attacks have been so effective.” 

“I’ve never seen anything quite like them, seriously.”

“Because anything this openly insidious usually has more sinister intentions,” Jaehyun says, having been too familiar with John’s thought processes that he could already guess what he must be thinking. “All these brilliance just for the sake of humiliating cocky men.” 

“Do you think it was done out of revenge?”

Jaehyun replays the whole affair with the Benevolent Bandit in his mind before taking a deep inhale. “Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Really?”

“They seem to lean a lot more towards mischief than retaliation,” he concludes. “Plus I can’t see any reason why this time around _I’m_ the one being targeted other than a journey on an ego trip.”

“I’m going to take a pretty good guess and say that because you’re exactly the kind they don’t target at all.”

“That’s risky, isn’t it, to assume that I would fall prey to it?” 

“Maybe that’s why they got to Ten,” John says, letting the dreadful reality sink in. 

“Or this could be just a distraction so that we would be so paranoid that we forget to protect the ones who are really in danger.” 

“You mean the ones in the binders,” Jaehyun asks, referring to the tall pile of folders Doyoung has on his desk to discreetly compile all the possible targets from information available from Ten and his sources. He doesn’t want to verbalise it but he knows that the both of them are standing there not really to take a cigarette break but to actually talk about how impressed they are by the Benevolent Bandits. There’s something really strangely flattering about being targeted by the Bandits and he’s pretty sure that his entire squad thinks the same, with the notable exception being Doyoung, who has set his mind on demonising them. 

“Do you think Doyoung would be targeted as well?”

“Because he’s my partner?” Jaehyun asks, suddenly feeling a slight sadistic glee at the prospects of it. 

“Yea, especially if they have deeply infiltrated Ten’s intels,” John’s musings are starting to wear an uncharacteristic non confidence that has also been shrouding Jaehyun’s thoughts endlessly since he reported to him in private about having possibly met one of the Benevolent Bandits during the supposed romantic set up by Ten. 

“Do you think it would be a good idea to check with Ten about it?” Jaehyun asks, slowly refocusing his admiration into forming a strategy. 

“Not at this moment,” John answers decisively. “Better not to tip the Bandits off.” 

“So, what should I do?”

John throws the half-lit cigarette to the ground and flattens it with the sole of his shoe. “Just go along with it for the time being.” 

“How far along?”

“As far as they want to.”

“Are you sure?” Jaehyun raises an eyebrow. “And if I make it to the news?”

“Better you than the ones in the binders,” John says, making his way to the entrance back into the building. “And there’s nothing to worry about, because you know I have your back, right?”

Jaehyun lets the suggestion marinate in his head for a few seconds before starting to tail John. “This is making me feel like I’m in a film noir.” 

“And you have the looks for it too.” 

“You’re kidding.” 

“Really,” John reassures him with a pat on the back before they enter their office. “Drag it out for as long as you can.”

Jaehyun lets his mind wander to the curves of the stranger’s body from a week ago, then lets out a smirk. 

“Alright, then.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 25_ **

The Minister of Transportation doesn’t know why they are going to have a rendezvous in the library, but after what happened the last time he managed to score a pretty one, anywhere quiet and peaceful is a welcomed change. 

“I’ve never seen a model who’s also a bookworm,” he says to his “date”. She was introduced to him as a former up-and-coming model, whose career never really took off because she was allegedly not meeting the standards for the physical qualities required and resorted to settling for a career as an air stewardess. For the Minister however, the irregular nature of her schedules coupled with her possessing the cynicism of a washed up wannabe model make her just the perfect target to be his next conquest. 

And also having a generous pair of chest as well, he thinks as he sneaks his hand underneath her shirt to indulge himself, pinching her nipples so hard that she bumps her head against the shelf and a tell-all book falls down, the cover being the face of the Minister’s previous lover. 

“Stop,” the air stewardess says. “I’m not doing this anymore.” 

The Minister feels himself going flaccid and he’s not sure what caused it—the sudden halt in their tryst or the face of the woman who almost wrecked his marriage and nearly demolished his career if not for the ironclad protection he has for being related to the President. 

“You’re going to believe her,” he accuses. “Just because she said I threw her under the bus.” 

The air stewardess scoffs and turns away to fix her blouse. “No, because you called her a slut.” 

“Well, she is,” he insists, then forcefully takes the air stewardess back in his arm and squeezes her. “And for the record, you are too.” 

She struggles to wiggle out of his hold, something that only makes him want her even more, and so he takes a bite on her earlobe and hisses. 

“I know your kind now,” he says. “Ever since that bitch got a book out, you must be thinking that you’re going to have the same deal, right? Fuck some high status officers and let the cops or some gossip journalist bust you out then sign up for some multi-million book deal and there’s the rest of your life being settled.” 

When she gives up struggling, he pushes her down so that she’s on her knees with her mouth right in front of his crotch and he presses her down so hard that she sobs as he opens his zipper, whips his cock and barks an instruction. 

“Suck it,” he orders. “For turning me down just now—I’m going to make you suck it, then I’m going to fuck your pussy and your ass and if you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll get my driver to send you home.” 

The air stewardess lifts up her head and looks at him with such contempt that the Minister is positive that she’s going to bite him off if she's able to, but she’s now alone inside a dark library with only him and hundreds of shelves and thousands of books and none of them would be able to help her even if she screams. 

“It’s your fucking choice to choose this place,” he sneers, “now do your job.” 

And then he hears the sound of switches turning on, blinding lights pointed at his face and then—nothing else. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta is not the kind that obediently listens to instructions, so he leaves Jaehyun with a puzzle for him to solve before being qualified to claim his prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- things to look out for: non-explicit blowjobs, johnten, and crossdressing  
> \- please enjoy this chapter!

*

on the top of the fucking world - chapter 2

*

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 100, 30 minutes before the escape_ **

Mark can’t stop shaking. 

“You can’t be doing this,” he mumbles to himself while watching Jaehyun strip each and every piece of his pride and identity—first his GPS tracker, then his gun and finally, his shiny, gleaming badge. 

The justification given to all of them new recruits is that Jaehyun has gone way too far in acting alone that his default operating mode has become _defying orders_ , despite being named as the most promising recruit when he had graduated from the academy and later being one of the most sought-after detectives after having solved one of the most notorious crimes in the nation’s history—defying his Captain when he was told to not chase the perp into the back of the alley; defying the other Captain when he was assigned to do deskworks for two months by roaming around after office hours doing night hunts to apparently bust a notorious cyber crime ring; and right now, destroying all the evidences that the police could use to charge the most cunning cyber criminal in recent history. 

“So, Jung Jaehyun,” the chief’s voice wears the colour of cold formality as he strips Jaehyun of his hard-fought title from his name and makes the dismissal official, “I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.” 

Mark thinks that this must be the sorriest sight he has ever seen in his life, the once-revered back of his disgraced mentor in full view shrinking with every calculated step towards the exit. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 18, part 1_ **

Yuta usually leaves some traces behind so that his targets could follow him, but for Jaehyun he chooses to be the one to trail after him instead just so that he could enjoy the process of discovering everything about him after Haechan maxed out the information available from internet sources. This time around, he thinks as he makes some mental notes, he’s going to make sure that Haechan doesn’t get to brag about how his preferred method of online data mining yields more results than Yuta’s snooping. 

In just two weeks’ time, by being a sleekly-dressed corporate worker with neat, coiffed locks, Yuta manages to find out that Detective Jung Jaehyun is, indeed, very terminally single, and an ardent coffee lover with a penchant for arriving at the train stations exactly two minutes before the scheduled departure. He’s also ridiculously accomplished, Yuta finds, from his straight As in school and his mastery in at least 4 languages along with his musical achievements to the ever-increasing collection of badges and medals from his career as a renowned detective. 

By all accounts, every new discovery points to the rightful conclusion that Jaehyun isn’t the kind of person who would be susceptible to the trap that Yuta has set for him, but a recent halt in his strings of accomplishments is suggesting that a lapse of control is possible—because the said halt involving him acting righteously in defense of a bunch of almost-prostitutes after a human-trafficking bust went wrong and Yuta didn’t think that Jaehyun could get even more attractive than he had been at that time when he had ran to defend him from that stinky man he himself had hired to bait him, leading to that magical kiss. 

An uncharacteristic lapse of control—or that Yuta just happens to have found the right formula that hits all his buttons at first try which, if it happens to be the case, something he would have to thank their helpful insider for. 

“All I can say is that he’ll see through you right away,” was the only answer given to him when Yuta had asked in the tightly-secured and cleverly-coded email exchange about the feasibility of using his usual beautiful girl disguise to lure a man who’s not really into women. He had interpreted it as a challenge then—despite Taeyong’s various expressions of discomfort—and has now understood that it’s the best decision he has ever made, because Jung Jaehyun proves to be way too attractive to remain as just a target, so Yuta decides to indulge himself for a bit and reappears in another body-hugging dress, this time deliberately bumps into him as he disembarks the train heading towards the city center, no doubt going for a drink or two after work and Yuta looks back every now and then to check that Jaehyun is still tailing him. 

When he reaches the entrance to a club on a street across the one where they had last kissed, Yuta pauses in his step and takes a quick backward glance at Jaehyun to send him a brand new proclamation of challenge and an invitation to play more games with him. Jaehyun’s face seems to wear an expression of wary anticipation, repeatedly fiddling with his chest pocket seemingly to ascertain that his badge is still steadfastly hidden while keeping a laser-focused sight on Yuta’s route, easily making his way through the rowdy, unruly crowd to catch his arm and turn him around, giving Yuta an unbridled look at the victorious smirk across the most attractive face he has ever seen. 

“I’ve been waiting,” this time Jaehyun is the one who says it and Yuta takes some time to scan through the features of his latest success story, immersing himself in this late-arriving epiphany that him and his beloved handsome detective, in the most twisted way possible, are probably meant to meet together like this. Him and the unlawful things he did to people who, in the court of public opinion, deserved them with the law-abiding detective and his repressed unhingedness; him and his indomitable free spirit outlaw with the detective and being high-achieving educated elite; and finally, him and the sexuality he flaunts along with his shameless androgyny with the classic cavalier and all the refineries of a Hollywood movie gentleman. 

“I get it now,” Yuta says, breathing heavily as heat flows under his skin, “you _let me_ follow you.” 

The smirk stays in Jaehyun’s face as he gently takes some of his hair—this time Yuta decides to go for his real shoulder-length locks—to playfully twirl around his fingers and let the crowd push them closer and closer until Yuta is forced to hold on to Jaehyun’s shoulder. 

“I see you have underestimated me,” Jaehyun whispers, then tilts Yuta’s chin upwards and starts kissing his neck. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 20_ **

Ten whistles at the bartender for a piece of paper once Jaehyun confirms to him that he really is looking for the list of all the clubs holding “leather parties” next weekend. It’s not the kind of request that he would imagine ever coming out of Jaehyun’s mouth at all, what with him and his pristine, well-bred family of doctors and his reputation as one of the most intelligent detectives of the nation for having figured out the perpetrator for one of the greatest unsolved serial murder cases, giving the police department a much needed popularity boost among the citizens. 

“Finally found the merits in giving in?” Ten teases, “always knew you had that sort of freakish instinct in you.” 

“That’s nice of you but I just really need that info to chase a perp,” Jaehyun says as he takes a large sip of the vodka, something that Ten knows isn’t a habit of his and so he’s guessing that it’s probably done in relief because Ten usually charges for his information by making Jaehyun divulge—albeit reluctantly, since Ten usually keeps the secrets to himself for a chance of a “bigger picture reveal”—subtle clues, always cryptic enough to allow Jaehyun some denial plausibility, about the fuck-ups government higher-ups that the police helps to hide, but this time around he’s only charging him with an unofficial IOU because he claims that this is a personal business.

“What kind of crime is this perp committing that you can’t link it to an official case,” Ten asks, slipping the folded piece of paper with the information inside Jaehyun’s breast pocket, “and if he’s not a perp then what are you going to do?”

“If it’s not a perp—” Jaehyun answers, the vodka glass firm between his teeth and his ears flushing with increasingly deep shade of red. 

Ten lights up a cigarette, smirks knowingly and asks no further but his eyes remain locked on Jaehyun for the rest of the night. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 18, part 2_ **

It’s taking Yuta a lot more effort than he had expected to make Jaehyun start wanting to fuck him because after leading him to the dressing room next to the thumping dance floor, Jaehyun stopped kissing and started taking his hand in his to apparently _start a conversation_ only for Yuta to grab him back again, this time also biting his collarbone to remind him that the kind of game they are playing with each other doesn’t need anything as unnecessary as a _conversation._

Jaehyun laughs as he complies, then hoists Yuta up against the wall with his arms, making his heels fall off his feet as he wraps his legs around his waist and they kiss again while Jaehyun presses Yuta’s body against the wall, letting the bass of the music the DJ is playing dictate the rhythm of their tongues. Yuta runs his fingers through Jaehyun’s hair to force him to stay above his chest, anything and everything above that, he mumbles and his crotch just a little misaligned so that his erection isn’t pressed against Jaehyun’s and he’ll see how far Jaehyun can go before letting him in. 

“You have such a beautiful neck,” Jaehyun says and Yuta obliges, arching back gracefully and letting him suck at his skin so hard that it’s probably going to leave marks. 

“And you have a great tongue too,” Yuta teases, “I bet you do this a lot.” 

“Does it matter,” Jaehyun asks, his nose so close that Yuta’s breathing the air he releases.

“As long as you feel good.” 

When the dance floor erupts in cheers, Yuta grabs a handful of Jaehyun’s hair hard enough to make him gasp and he takes the opportunity to leave another bite mark on his shoulder until the pain proves to be too much for him that he lets go of Yuta, only to have Yuta dragging his body back to press against his, but this time on top of him on the sofa. 

Jaehyun is clearly determined to drive their pace this time around, because he puts a finger on Yuta’s lips to calm him down and then slowly sweeps his bangs away from his forehead to trace the outlines of his face. 

“Look at you,” he gushes, “you’re so gorgeous.” 

The hand tracing his face slowly moves downwards to his back while another hand holds his neck gently and Jaehyun kisses him so gently that Yuta gets to feel the difference between kissing him standing up and kissing him lying down, because Jaehyun is clearly a lot more comfortable with someone underneath him that his kisses grow a lot hungrier—so much that Yuta almost manages to overlook the way Jaehyun has pretty much removed the upper part of his dress and the way the void under the bra he’s wearing only serves to make him more ferocious. 

This is amazing, Yuta thinks, watching as Jaehyun unbuckles his bra completely to liberate his chest and uses his tongue on his nipple.

“You’re such a freak,” he giggles and Jaehyun smirks in a way that tells Yuta that he has known it from the start, that he knows he has been kissing a man in a dress and he likes it. 

He likes it so much that he slides down to his crotch and pushes the dress up to his waist despite Yuta’s protest. 

“Why not,” Jaehyun asks, breathing hot air onto his inner thigh. 

“Is it not going to ruin it?”

“Ruin what?” Jaehyun’s dimply smirk is so lethal that Yuta fully gives in to him and opens his leg wide while Jaehyun removes the panties he’s wearing and gives his erection the most tender kind of kisses. 

“You’re so much fun,” Yuta whines, hands back to grab Jaehyun's hair as he bobs up and down and tightens his grip when he comes then Jaehyun moves back to kiss him on the cheeks like they’re at the end of a very sweet innocuous date, except instead of thanking each other for the good time, Jaehyun is telling him what they should do the next time they meet. 

“Wear a tighter dress,” he says, “so that I can fuck you without taking it off.” 

Yuta is not the kind that obediently listens to instructions, so he leaves Jaehyun with a puzzle for him to solve before being qualified to claim his prize. 

“But only if you can find me,” he replies. 

Jaehyun’s eyebrow cocks in surprise, so Yuta brings his face back to him and gives him the most seductive kiss ever. 

“I’ll see you at a leather party, one week from now.” 

  
  
  
  


**_Day 19_ **

The plan is slowly falling into motion with shockingly unsettling ease, but Yuta supposes that this is how it would feel to have an insider working with them so he decides that he will continue lying in his bed and bouncing the stress ball up towards the ceiling instead of doing the surveying that’s usually routine for them during their “down time”. 

“It wouldn’t hurt you to come play a few rounds, you know?” Taeyong says while clicking wildly on his mouse, currently playing on this online multiplayer battle game that Haechan has specifically designed to mimic the city layout and landscape that served to entertain Taeyong’s passion for gaming while allowing him to perform surveillance and simulation at the same time. It’s times like this that Yuta feels incredibly grateful that Haechan is as inventive as he is, because it has been his Taeyong-catering creations that are the biggest reason why they are as effective in dodging the authorities as they currently are, even if Yuta isn’t as enthusiastic about gaming as Taeyong is. 

Yuta, as a self-proclaimed fundamentalist, prefers the old-fashioned way of going incognito while exploring the city by disguising himself as some of the insignificant figures and only appearing to arrest attention when he has explored enough—though this time around he proceeded to heed the tips provided by their insider and went straight ahead with grabbing Jung Jaehyun by the crotch. 

He rolls to one side on the sofa so that his face points towards Taeyong’s direction. “I was a little tired yesterday.” 

“Ew,” Taeyong grimaces. “Don’t tell me you—”

Yuta snorts, because Taeyong has this unintentionally hilarious tendency to assume that the first thing Yuta would do upon arrival at any new district is to hit on any tall, handsome man he fancies for a quick “thirst quencher”. 

“Of course not,” he chuckles. “But I definitely would, after we get our first target. As a reward for myself.” 

Taeyong tapped on the spacebar to pause his game. 

“And that would be—”

“Safe to proceed as planned, yes.” 

“You sure?” Taeyong asks. They both had reservations about the sincerity of their insider, Taeyong more so, but Yuta has enough evidence that matches the information provided, showing that the insider indeed has been trustworthy. 

“Remember the three things that he told us when we came here?” Yuta reminds him. 

“First, the city library has the most relaxed security,” Taeyong recites from memory. “Didn’t Haechan already confirm that, way before he told us about it?”

“Yeah, but some corroborative information does help to authenticate at least.” 

Taeyong rolls his eyes before continuing. “Ok, the second thing he told us was that the Ministry of Transportation has long wanted Captain Suh’s squad to be disbanded—you know,” Taeyong smirks suggestively, “the squad where that dreamboat of yours is.” 

“Can’t confirm,” Yuta shrugs, squeezing the stress ball in his hands. “He’s so ridiculously methodical that he doesn’t even crack a joke about his jackass superiors.”

“Then we’ll just have to go by what Haechan found, about the Ministry’s adultery scandal breaking out in the news and that squad busting a human trafficking ring simultaneously,” Taeyong says, “I just have a feeling they are both related.” 

“Or maybe they are not related and our dearest Captain Suh just resented the way some housewives’ gossip upstaged one of the biggest bust in the city.” 

“It wasn’t just a _gossip_ , was it? The poor actress who was caught in bed with him is still pretty much missing in action.” 

Yuta takes a few breaths while contemplating an idea. “You know, I’m thinking—”

Taeyong’s eyes are focused as well, like they always are whenever the both of them reach a similar point in their mental trajectory. 

“Yea, I’m thinking that as well, but we’ll have to pin that for now.” 

Yuta bounces the ball again in agreement. “Alright, and what’s the last one?”

At that, Taeyong’s face flushes with a sudden tinge of intense red and Yuta can’t help himself from laughing heartily before helping him out. 

“The third and last thing the insider told us was that Detective Jung has some _fun_ tastes in men.” 

“And?” Taeyong asks, eyes growing increasingly large with embarrassment. “What’s your verdict?”

“Understatement of the century.” 

“ _Fuck_ the police,” Taeyong spits, forehead contorts in slight disgust. 

“Oh yeah,” Yuta agrees. “He has some _fun_ tastes alright.”

“Can you not target him, he sounds like a freak.” 

“Yeah he definitely is, but,” Yuta says, moaning restlessly as he rises from the sofa to Taeyong’s computer chair and starts sitting on his lap, “hear me out.”

Taeyong shifts in his seat uncontrollably and admonishes Yuta. “One day you’re going to have to learn how to make a point without doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“This,” Taeyong places his hand on Yuta’s lap, putting a distance between them because Yuta currently has his hand on his neck, readying his lips and Yuta loves it when Taeyong gets a little moody and sulks like this because his jealousy can be adorable. 

“Sorry, I’m still feeling kinda high from last night,” Yuta whispers in Taeyong’s ear while placing some light pecks on his sideburn, then drops his voice a few octaves. “Let’s do it one week from now.” 

Taeyong heaves loudly. “That soon?”

“I’ll meet him again that day, so I’ll have an alibi.” 

“So you’re going to fuck with his mind before screwing him?”

“I told you just now,” Yuta says, putting Taeyong’s earlobe between his lips and playfully nibbles at it. “Him having _fun_ tastes in men is an understatement of the century.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 24_ **

The vainest of men, Ten whispers as John kisses him on the nape, makes the worst kind of lover. 

“Good thing then that I’m far from vain,” John responds, pushing himself harder as he nears his climax and Ten places his hand on both sides of his hips to feel the rhythm of the intensifying muscle contraction. Ten loves it when John fucks him right after gym, because the lingering adrenaline rush that flows through the kind of body that John possesses makes the thrusts some of the most satisfying things ever. 

“Can you not come yet,” Ten asks breathlessly when he senses John approaching his finishing line, then pushes him upwards so that he has some space to turn around to be on his knees, his back arching strategically for John to re-enter him as he recalibrates around his own climax and guides John to his own erection so that the thrusts entering him and the strokes around his own are in sync. 

John grunts as they both come a few seconds apart and collapses next to him. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he spits. “We almost got it.”

Ten evens out his breathing before replying. “Yeah, it was so close.” It had seem like it would be fun when he had first suggested it, trying to come at exactly the same time but now it’s just getting exhausting to keep having to revisit their lovemaking because it’s like they have to keep making remixes out of their sex. 

“I’m going to have to grab you a little earlier next time.” 

“Next time when?”

“Maybe like, this weekend?”

“Or we can take a break and do it again in a bit.” 

“What the fuck—no, I’m exhausted.” 

“ _He’s_ not,” Ten says, pointing at John’s crotch. 

“Dude, it's a weekday,” John says, exasperatedly. “And I have had a long ass day.” 

“Oh,” Ten realises. “That explains.” 

“Explains what.” 

“Explains how quickly you went hard just now.” 

John snorts. “Yeah, I suppose.” 

“Is it Jaehyun again?”

“Yeah. Any intel on whoever he’s boning?”

“Nothing much yet except he’s hot as fuck.” 

“ _He_?”

“Yes. It’s a guy.”

“The fuck...he said it was a girl.” 

“Dude baited him by wearing a skintight dress,” Ten laughs. “You never told me he was into _that_.”

“That’s because I didn’t know he was that much of a freak.” 

“You know,” Ten teases, “Maybe I should have gone for him.” 

John rolls his eyes. “And miss out on my ass?”

“I could have your round ass _and_ his flat one. _Together_.”

“Jesus, you’re incorrigible.” 

Ten rises up again and gives John a few long strokes between his legs. “And I’m rightfully incorrigible.” 

He climbs on top of John and teases him with a slow kiss as he straddles him with his hips then whispers the real purpose of meeting up today in his ear. 

“Get some sleep, you’re going to need it tomorrow.” 

“So it’s confirmed now?”

“Yes,” Ten says, hips fully positioned to ride him, “they got the Minister.” 

“ _They_?”

“Yes, _they_. And Jaehyun is boning one of them.” 

At that, John seems to have rediscovered his strength and grabs hold of Ten to topple him over, kissing all over his wet sweaty face like he has just scored a three-pointer and tugging at his hips with his hands as he fucks him again, this time a little slower so that Ten could have the time to process all the information. 

“You think we should tell Jaehyun?”

“About?” 

“About, you know,” Ten pauses to take a breath as the bed starts creaking again below them, “the minister finally getting his karma and all.” 

John plants soft kisses on his chest and Ten knows that he’s contemplating between his duty and his humanity—the duty to protect all of the constituents of the police, even the rich and the powerful, and the duty to apprehend the ones who have broken the law; or the humanity to allow his longtime buddy Jaehyun to witness the biggest adversary to his career advancement finally getting a comeuppance—and then he comes with satisfied groan that grows into a smirk and Ten knows that he has found a way to balance both priorities. 

“Fuck,” Ten exclaims as he makes another realisation when he sees the spill sticking to John’s stomach. 

“What?”

“We finally did it.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 26_ **

The news articles got everything about them right except for the speculated intention behind their attacks because they are monsters alright, Haechan could give them that, but they are not trying to terrorise _every_ one. He’s savvy enough with the way the media works to get this worked up over it, but because it’s from a publication that’s widely read across the nation (and from the journalist who apparently only signs his name with Ten—why would anyone ever fucking do that?) that it’s bound to revive some dead conversations especially within districts that they were in so Haechan can’t help feeling a little pedantic about the callousness of the reporting, making it sound like they are a bunch of ruthless cyber criminals targeting everyday civilians for no good reason. 

“Never,” he types furiously on the online Reddit thread speculating about the nature of the “Gay Robin Hood” (a name so profoundly uninspired that he almost wanted to expose what the local publications from other districts have been calling them even though Yuta and Taeyong like it—what an unfortunately tacky taste, he thinks), “have they actually terrorised _every_ one, have they?”

He continues to elaborate cautiously, drawing only from details available in open-source reportings: about how their victims have always been sitting members of the governing bodies or offices; how their “crimes” could, if stripped down the technological sophistication, sound extremely juvenile in nature; and finally, how despite the sleek escapes after sleek escapes, the so-called Robin Hood members hadn’t really killed anyone despite being in perfect position to have done so. 

He knows that his astute observations have struck a chord within the Redditors camping in the news thread, because what follows is a massive flurry of replies agreeing with him and praising him for thinking outside the box. 

_Yeah dude, like I don’t think these dudes actually killed anyone yet, so to be such alarmists kinda feels homophobic_

_In all fairness they only attacked the asshole ones so who’s winning here, really_

_You’re right buddy the only people they have actually “terrorised” are the ones with “secrets”_

For a while it does feel good to feel the corporeality of his expertise in motion, because the nature of his job is such that shadows and darkness are his friends and never being able to openly profile his portfolio means that it’s impossible to advertise his skills out in the open and he usually takes the frustration out online by trolling around without Yuta and Taeyong’s knowledge. It’s not like it would harm them anyway, he rationalises, just pretty much being an all around menace around the internet and having his own brand of fun. 

Then his notification alerts him of a new reply to his comment and it’s an essay from a user named “babylion82” calling out all the comments for being ignorant about the impacts of seemingly harmless acts of anarchy, because by simply tolerating humiliation towards lawmakers means that nobody decent would ever run for office later and while Haechan has never been the reactionary kind of message board user, he does think that this kind of strawman argument could only be done with a specific perspective in mind, so he wastes no time in digging out the identity of babylion82 to satisfy his curiosity and—obviously—to entertain himself. 

Surprisingly, the task of finding out who babylion82 is takes less than an hour of hacking because apparently he has had already some of the details on hand and once he takes a good look of the man himself he could only apologise sarcastically to the picture of the target on his computer screen because he seems like a really good egg except he made one tiny mistake—

—calling Haechan’s work of spectacle a “harmless act of anarchy”. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 26, midnight_ **

The strength of John’s captainship, as it’s most widely described, lies in the way he has absolute and unshakable trust in the ability of his detectives but at this moment he’s very tempted to crush that impression because it’s taking all of his restraint to not start punching Jaehyun for having disappeared for pretty much the entire time on the most important night of the hottest crime case currently grappling the entire nation’s attention. The Benevolent Bandits have finally dealt their first blow on the capital, a few days earlier than initially predicted, and their star detective was missing in action. 

“Why don’t you just go to the office tomorrow anyway since we are pretty much done here,” remarks Doyoung, who is definitely not opposed to punching with his words. They have just completed the gathering of evidences, examining the crime scene and calming down the Ministry of Transportation (albeit reluctantly from John’s side, because seeing the haughty minister trying his ultimate best to boss them around with his hands embarrassingly tied and pants fully pulled down has been quite an oddly vindicating experience) without Jaehyun’s presence and John thinks that he has a pretty solid idea on where the star of his team has been. 

“If we are lucky, the perps are probably heading towards the borders as we speak, planning on hoodwinking one of the patrol guards into letting them go free, but since this is the Bandits, we are probably going to be dealing with them for a little longer.” 

Jaehyun doesn’t show it but John knows that he’s rolling his eyes at Doyoung as he usually does whenever Doyoung starts verbally beating his ass and he usually lets their banter slide in the name of teamwork but this time around he’s going to have to break his own rules and pick a side. 

“Unfortunately, I have to agree with him,” John says as the officers on duty nod at him as a sign of having wrapped up the crime scene investigation. “Go back and get some sleep, detective. We’ll have a debrief tomorrow morning for you to catch up and then we have to talk for a bit, just the two of us.” 

“Captain—” Jaehyun opens his mouth to presumably explain himself but Doyoung cuts him off. 

“The captain made it clear, _partner_ ,” Doyoung hisses and John is immediately reminded of the stream of doubts coming from the rest of his own squad early in the year when he had announced that Doyoung and Jaehyun were to be new partners. 

Jaehyun’s eyes nervously shifts around in an obvious attempt to try isolating John from Doyoung, clearly sending a message that he has something to tell him—and _only_ him—very badly and John is about to reconsider his decision to dismiss Jaehyun for the night but Jaehyun takes an abrupt, sudden interest at the lane behind them, then scrunches his nose like he has smelt something incriminating and narrows his eyes as he locks on a target point and starts bolting towards it.

“Hey!!” John shouts as he runs after him, debating internally if he should call the rest over or just leave it for Jaehyun to handle this but he opts for the former and continues to trail Jaehyun, the thrill of the chase taking him back to their days in the academy when Jaehyun trained for weeks just to prove that he could outrun him. 

Jaehyun’s chase halts immediately when he finally corners the perp into a dead end and wastes no time to fire a warning shot into the air, then pin them to the ground after a quick, effective tackle but freezes in his place the moment he sees the face of the person he just caught. 

“Detective, that’s—”

The colour is draining rapidly from Jaehyun’s face in an obvious struggle to keep a steady, tight grip on his captive as he lets the reality sink in. 

“ _Ten_ ,” Jaehyun mutters, “what the _fuck_ are you doing here?”

John pulls Jaehyun up from Ten and sets him aside before helping Ten to get up and massages at his shoulders. 

“If you have arrived earlier, then you would have known that we already have a witness in custody and it was thanks to Ten tipping us off,” John explains angrily. Not only must he now whip out a plausible explanation to why Jaehyun wasn’t in the crime scene (and having Doyoung, Jaehyun’s partner, there means that he can’t use the “off duty” excuse), he’s going to also have to invent a believable reason to be put in his report to explain for the way Jaehyun has attacked a staunch ally to the law enforcement. 

“Then why was he running away?”

“Sorry, Jaehyun,” Ten finally says, swinging his arms to relax his sprained shoulders, “I thought I saw someone and ran to chase but got panicked when you suddenly dashed towards me like that.” 

“And that _someone_ escaped?”

“Detective, that’s enough for now. We have a witness and the officers have all confirmed that there’s no further casualty—”

“But we haven’t found out what has been stolen, have we?” 

John takes a deep breath and straightens his posture. “Are you saying that Ten tipped the perp off?”

“I’m not saying that he did, but isn’t it weird that you guys haven’t found out the missing item?”

“ _You guys_ ,” John says, gritting through his teeth, “I can’t believe you’re saying this.” 

“Captain, you know you can trust my instincts.”

“The instincts that apparently couldn’t tell that you were chasing Ten. You know, Detective, maybe it was _you_ who set the so-called perp free.” 

Jaehyun’s face is now contorting from confusion and desperation. “What—Captain, I know what I saw. At the very least Ten needs to leave an official statement.” 

“No,” John commands with the tone of finality he has never imagined would be used on his most treasured talent. “ _You_ need to leave an official statement.”

“Johnny,” Jaehyun pleads, “buddy, trust me, please, I know what I’m doing.” 

“Go home, detective.” 

Jaehyun heaves an angry sigh in reluctant defeat, then raises both his hands up in surrender. “Alright, we’ll see tomorrow.” 

“No, you won’t.”

“What?” 

John walks towards Jaehyun and tells him his verdict out of Ten’s earshot. 

“I’m removing you from the case.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kiss that follows feels like the beginning of the end and maybe, Yuta thinks, it really wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone like Jaehyun finish him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- things to look out for: non-explicit handjob, pool stuff  
> \- please enjoy this chapter!  
> \- posting earlier because I have to go out later

*

on the top of the fucking world - chapter 3

*

**_Day 30_ **

Mark didn’t think that Jaehyun would deal with his removal from the case well—and it was such an unceremonious ejection too, because the police chief’s order to set him aside came with relegating him to doing administrative work for the time being—but he was strangely dignified when Mark told him that the task of staking out around the area circling the City Library had been reassigned to him and Jeno. It’s the so-called “cool-down task” after the incident rush a few days ago when the Minister of Transportation had been found pretty much naked in the library exactly 25 days after the Benevolent Bandits were first sighted in the capital, which is earlier than their usual trend of taking at least 30 days to act on anything and took the squad by surprise. The stakeout mission’s purpose is to gather intel from the everyday crowd around the area, because the senior detectives are speculating that the Minister being stripped in the library is a sign that their next point of attack would be in a nearby bank. Mark, increasingly anxious by how high the stakes are, has a nasty feeling that Jaehyun being taken out of the case would be like handing the perps lottery money. 

“Remember to tell Kebab Joe that you’re my partner, in case he happens to have forgotten your face” Jaehyun was reminding Mark and Jeno as they were leaving for the stakeout while carefully sorting and rearranging at least two years worth of traffic accident reports on his work desk. Mark has only seen Joe the kebab food truck owner once a few months ago, when he was shadowing Jaehyun as he worked on solving that decades-old cold case, and Joe was such a helpful presence then, managing to provide Jaehyun with an important inconsistency that eventually became the reason that got it reopened. It's common knowledge among the squad that Jolly Joe has a soft spot for the cops, but he’s especially fond of Jaehyun for the help he once rendered to save the food truck from being involved in a shoot-out. 

“Yeah,” Mark says, as casually as he can in an act of quiet solidarity, even if he finds the sight of Jaehyun actually finding purpose in his new tasks a lot more unsettling than it should be and Mark is wondering if it was because he was expecting a repeat of Jaehyun’s outburst of angry hysteria at his own mistake during the last case instead of a calm acceptance of the ramifications. It’s a strange feeling, Mark thinks, because neither outcome feels right—not rage-induced defensiveness, and definitely not subservient docility. 

But he follows Jaehyun’s advice nonetheless and seeks out for the food truck at the corner of the street opposite the library entrance then calls for Joe, but a boyish face greets them from the tiny window counter instead. 

“Boss isn’t well today, so I’m taking your orders instead,” the boy, who’s probably in either very late teens or early 20s, says. From the way he fumbles with the coin tray and the wrap, Mark and Jeno know immediately that he’s new so they look at each other for an instant wordless agreement to not tell the boy about being Jaehyun’s partner for extra meat. The acquaintance with Joe can wait another day as long as long they are still within the grace period of one month, but for now, they are going to have to have to take a good, long look at Joe’s new employee. 

So Jeno tells the boy that his name tag is crooked, Mark uses the opportunity to take a few stealthy shots of the boy using his tiny body camera and just like that, the boy’s name and face are now available for instant search in the police database. 

_Donghyuck._

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 25, night_ **

It should be weirding Jaehyun out that he’s finding himself feeling so obsessed with a stranger whose body he knows more than his name, whose origins are as sudden and ambiguous as his appearance, whose deliberate bending of gender boundaries is as outlandish as his ability to pull them off magnificently, and whose insistent avoidance of any meaningful conversion should be the biggest red flag to ever exist. Something is telling him that it might be unwise to seek answers now, even if his detective instincts are objecting against his every next steps to discover what lies ahead: heeding Ten’s intel and entering a dark, dingy establishment in an area he had only visited once during one of the raids a few years back before being led into a dimly-lit room with almost zero defense or alert mechanism, then finally have his eyes bound by a veil before being welcomed by a familiar pair of lips touching his lightly. 

“So you found me again,” says his beloved beautiful stranger in that sweet honeyed voice that sometimes appears in Jaehyun’s dreams, a hand tugging at the blindfold gently just to fasten it enough and to confirm that the knot is secure. 

Jaehyun’s lips can’t help themselves from curving up as his heart does an excited victory lap while he takes the greeting as a permission to stake his claim to reaffirm his intention to remain as a challenger in this arbitrary game he doesn’t even know the rules for. 

“Yes,” he answers and interlocks his fingers below the stranger’s back, the base of his palms brushing against the fabric of what Jaehyun assumes to be the tighter dress that he had requested for in their previous encounter. 

“You know what this means, don’t you?” the stranger says, a finger circling the area around his ear. 

“I don’t, actually,” Jaehyun smirks, “what am I supposed to know?” 

There’s a tiny pause in the stranger’s breathing and so Jaehyun knows he’s getting there—he really is. He's starting to get the hang of this dangerous game he’s playing and he’s determined to reap some form of reward for having somewhat levelled up. 

The stranger heaves a sigh that almost sounds like an inaudible whine as though he has conceded to the fact that Jaehyun isn’t the type to give up. 

“If this is again your attempt at getting me to talk—you’re so lame,” he says, not at all mocking Jaehyun. “I like it better when you kiss me instead.” 

“But I like it when _you_ talk,” Jaehyun retorts. “Are you really letting that sweet voice go to waste?”

“That would depend on how you want to use it.” 

Jaehyun pulls him close. “Really? _I_ get to use it?”

“Maybe,” the stranger teases before hurling him towards a soft surface Jaehyun assumes to be a bed covered in satin sheets and he takes a moment to appreciate how wonderfully inviting the place has been set up: the sheets, the rose-scented aroma, his favourite jazz music—almost like he has been completely figured out and the only way forward is to return back in kind. 

The stranger crawls from the edge to the bed to climb to the top of him and starts pressing him down. 

“What do you have in mind?” 

Jaehyun gulps calmly before deepening his voice. “I’m a simple one, I just want to know more about you.”

“ _More_?”

“Why?”

“So you _do_ know something. About me.” 

“A little.”

“If you can tell me 3 things you know about me, maybe I’ll consider letting you know 3 more,” he says, sneakily unbuckling Jaehyun’s belt to slip a hand inside his pants to touch him. 

Jaehyun used to think that the infidel elites have it easy, because the luxuries in their lives give rise to a kind of opening in their guard that could only be satisfied by an illicit affair but now that he knows just how electrifying the thrill of the unknown could be—it’s unexpectedly rather humbling, to say the least.

“You don’t like making things easy, do you?” Jaehyun asks as he finds settling into the precarious luxury that has been prepared for him. 

“And it’s only as easy as you want it to—and only if you get them correct.” 

“Great,” Jaehyun says in a strangled voice as the stranger applies more pressure to his touches, “I prefer it when I don’t have it easy.” 

At that, the stranger starts stroking him before bending down for a kiss, pushing his tongue so hard that it almost steals his voice and chokes out his breathing that for a brief moment it almost terrifies Jaehyun that a stranger could have known so much about him while Jaehyun’s only starting to learn about him, and that he can be fully clothed but still completely naked in front of him. 

This interplay of terror and ecstasy turns him on so much and he hears the stranger moan as Jaehyun starts getting hard in his hand and he takes this opportunity to wrestle him off the top of him and pins him down instead, all while his hand is still firmly holding him as Jaehyun guides his strokes. 

“That was unexpectedly easy.”

“What is.” 

“The moan,” Jaehyun says, slipping a hand under the tight mini-dress and feeling the curve of his hips. 

“You’re really good at this, did you know that?”

“Of course,” Jaehyun replies, his hand having gone far enough that he’s now starting to unfasten the bra he’s wearing. “Why did you think I managed to get that sound out of you, when it’s me you’re holding in your hand?” 

If there’s anything Jaehyun’s absolutely certain at this moment is that he’ll have to earn his way into gaining the right to get all the answers to the questions he’s been dying to ask—so he has no other choice than to play the game so hard that he outplays the rule maker. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” the stranger says. 

“Yes,” Jaehyun says, unbuckling his bra and pulls the top off the stranger’s shoulder, determined to make him moan again. 

“Fuck, fuck, _fuck_ —you’re so good.”

“I know,” Jaehyun lets out a small laugh before kissing him softly, like a gentleman to a lovely lady, and their movements cause the blindfold around his eyes to shift and the beautiful face with the large eyes and plump lips slowly appears within his vision and looking even more sultry than he ever remembers, laid out fully for his eyes to feast on. 

By now Jaehyun has kissed his beloved stranger enough to know what really drives him crazy because despite often defaulting to sexual aggression, he seems rather vulnerable towards genteel acts and it’s all Jaehyun needs to be able to conclude that his impatience came from a place of self-defense instead of preference. Jaehyun then breathes hotly onto the sensitive area below his ear to tickle him before freeing his hand so that he has a free reign of his cock and he makes sure to keep himself calm despite the gradually quickening strokes, because he’s going to have to prove that his determination to pamper him is greater than his urge to set himself loose. 

So Jaehyun controls his gasps and copes by grabbing a fistful of the sheets tightly, huffing with as little sound as possible and waits until he almost reaches his climax to press their bodies close to let out a groan near his ear and he spills into the fabric. 

“See,” he pants, “I don’t even need words to tell you how much I know about you.” 

Right after that, his phone starts ringing wildly and Jaehyun is about to pick it up before the stranger binds his legs around his thigh to stop him. 

“Looks like you have to go now.” 

“I don’t have to,” Jaehyun lies with an intentionally uncompelling tone. 

“Are you really doing this,” he says, brushing Jaehyun’s hair flirtatiously with his fingertips. “You’re from the police after all.”

“My partner will do ok,” Jaehyun insists, his body jerking slightly from the ferocious vibrations. “I still need you to hear what I know about you.” 

The stranger has the kind of pout that makes Jaehyun want to abandon his whole life for real just to be able to kiss him until the sun comes out, but he knows that he would lose his appeal if he loses his job, so he reaches for the blindfold that used to cover his eyes and places it on the stranger’s, then sighs heavily before surrendering. 

“Fine,” he says, starting his bargain with his palm holding his cheek tenderly. “One more kiss and I’ll leave.” 

The stranger giggles from the kiss and Jaehyun knows that it’s time to try for a touchdown.

“Next time, it would be _you_ who would have to find me,” he whispers and the stranger’s limbs all fall to the bed. 

“What makes you think I’m going to do that?” 

“Because I still have yet to fuck you properly.” 

“And you’re sure that’s what I want?”

“Of course I am,” Jaehyun says as he tightens the blindfold and bends for one last kiss as he puts his pants back on. 

“I love the way you say things like you know me very well.”

Jaehyun rises up and brushes his thumb across the stranger’s lips, then prepares to deliver his smack down. 

“Of course I do.”

He draws in a short but deep breath and pushes his thumb to the edge of his lips to smudge the scarlet red lipstick around the corner of his mouth. 

“I even know your name—and you have refused to tell me even that.” 

The stranger holds his breath in anticipation. 

“ _Yuta_.”

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 29_ **

There’s truly nothing in the world that is more beautiful than the scene of the 3rd morning after their opening act in every new district, and it’s something that Taeyong wouldn’t have noticed if Yuta didn’t once argued that their the weight of success for people like them only sinks in 48 hours after they make it happen. 

“If they knew where we were,” Yuta had said, “they would have found us within 48 hours max. Anything more and they lose the bragging rights.”

“Because by then there would have been more concerns about the tabloids printing out all the unearthed gossip and nobody would remember to come after us,” Taeyong was saying as a response. 

“So that’s why this is the most beautiful scene befitting the celebration of a perfect crime,” Yuta said, holding up his can of beer and getting ready to give him a morning toast on a rooftop of a crumbling apartment they were using as a makeshift accommodation back in District 17, “the first thing we see on the 3rd morning after the first thing we do for each and every District.”

It’s the kind of scene that Taeyong’s seeing right now as he thinks fondly about how poetically-inclined Yuta could be when he wanted to, the beauty that only comes after the smokescreen that they threw has allowed them to vanish into thin air and the relief bundling up with the freshness of the morning dew that glows as they receive the metaphorical mandate from the universe for more to come. Instead of a crumbling apartment, they are standing right now on a rooftop swimming pool for a celebratory breakfast, after Taeyong winked his way into coercing a hotel manager into granting them pre-dawn access to the facility and a bottle of 1980 Bordeaux wine. 

“Amazing, isn’t it,” Taeyong says once the cork is removed and he’s ready to pour into the glasses, “that Haechan has found so much dirt on the Minister of Transportation.” 

Yuta, who currently has his body draped on the glass railing overlooking the block where the police headquarters is, takes a momentary pause before acknowledging Taeyong with a small, soft _uhm_. 

He sure has been strangely mellow about the overwhelming success, but Taeyong chooses to believe in Yuta’s penchant to occasionally wallow sentimentally. 

“We were right after all, that the Minister really got his philandering ass busted by your dear dreamboat,” he continues, referring to the deal they brokered with their insider to bolster the strength of their “smokescreen” by offering the kind of dirt that even Haechan couldn’t hack. 

“Speaking of him,” Yuta finally says as his eyes shift back to focus, “do we get to keep this place in, say, the next two weeks?”

Taeyong cocks his eyebrow. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Yuta says with a face that obviously knows what he’s asking for, “for fun.” 

“For fun?” Taeyong controls his voice, before aiming a laser sharp glare at Yuta. 

“Hey, come on,” Yuta says, toasting their wine glasses clumsily before taking a sip. “Has this not been how we used to operate?”

“We don’t need that anymore,” Taeyong puts his glass down and grabs Yuta’s shoulders. “We have an insider now, we don’t have to keep doing that—”

“Keep doing what?” 

“Keep touching those dirty ass men,” Taeyong almost shouts before moving his hand from Yuta’s shoulder to his face to convince him. “We have each other for that.” 

Taeyong tugs at Yuta’s waistband and pulls their bodies close to press their lips together like they always do during their celebratory toasts and slips his hand inside to wrap him with his fingers, rubbing the tip slowly and waiting for the erection to spring up. 

“You belong here,” Taeyong whispers, “up here on top of the fucking world with the sky within your reach. You belong here with _me._ ” He’s going to remind Yuta that his infatuation with that policeman is but a temporal fixation on a limerence—because it would only work as a concept and never as a reality, and maybe Haechan could procure an augmented reality device to give him all the handsome policemen he could ever want, and so, he says. 

“Stay with me,” Taeyong says, guiding Yuta’s hand around his waist as he loses himself in this moment of delicate euphoria with his loyal partner amidst the victorious scent of success. 

But Yuta takes a long but silent deep breath before squirming out of his embrace, then gives him a pat on the back that reeks of reluctant obligation before finishing the wine in the glass with just a quick, rushed gulp and struts away towards the elevator. 

“It’s ok,” he says, waving backwards at Taeyong, “I’ll find a way.” 

Taeyong is about to call him back but he knows that their priority lies elsewhere. 

“Next bugger—3 weeks from now?”

The elevator _ding_ s open and Yuta’s answer is short, just enough to get it out before the door closes. 

“Of course, _partner_.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 40_ **

Captain Moon’s squad has always been a little low-key in the eyes of the other uniformed populace in the capital even outside the police, but Taeil isn’t one without his own credentials because upon ascension to the captaincy, he transformed his team into an efficient office-bound crime-busting team that takes on cases that have always been deemed too trivial, award-averse and sometimes don’t even belong to them; things like identity theft, house break-ins, or fraud-related burglaries. The squad even jokingly calls themselves the Purge Squad ( _purge_ being short for _purgatory)_ because their squad is where cases sit for a while waiting to be reassigned to the specific task forces, all while still maintaining a near 100% case solving rate and a double thumbs-up on work-life balance satisfactory rating. 

And thus, that was how Captain Moon made his team nigh impossible to undermine despite the ever-present micro-aggression—and the perfect place for Jaehyun to lay low for a while. Other than being a quick way to assuage the opportunistic higher-ups who would definitely be calling for either his immediate dismissal or demotion for having injured a key ally to the law enforcement, it would also provide him with a leeway to conduct his investigations using other sources under the guise of “performing administrative tasks”. 

“Here you go,” Mark says, carefully putting down the packet of hot kebab on the small table at the corner of the pantry where Jaehyun usually sits for his tea break. “Joe’s still sick apparently, so it’s a new kid who made it.” 

Jaehyun examines the kebab package closely, his forehead contorting into a slight frown. “That’s a long time to be sick. Almost 2 weeks already, hasn’t it?” 

“Yes, indeed,” Mark says, pulling out the seat to sit in front of Jaehyun and looking at him as earnestly as he can to telepathically convey his need for a coded conversation. “May I?”

It seems like his body language managed to do the trick anyway, because Jaehyun gives him a knowing nod. 

“Worried about Joe?” Jaehyun asks in a tone that suggests that Mark keeps up the pretense of knowing Kebab Joe personally. 

“A...little?” Mark answers, trying to be as vague as possible to cover all possible bases. 

“Yea, it’s not good at all,” Jaehyun says after taking a bite. “Even if the new guy is getting better and finally reduced the mayonnaise.” 

“Figured he got better after getting yelled at by Old Mr Park.” 

“Oh, Old Park and his exact 50:50 ratio of lettuce and mayonnaise.” 

“Yea, it was some few days ago and he yelled so loud, I felt so awful for the new guy that I let him give me whatever,” Mark continues on, finally having warmed up enough to be able to form a secret conversation in the work building. They teach you about being unified against perps in the academy, but hardly anything about being unified against anxious colleagues waiting for the first sign of sabotage. 

“Never thought that I’d see a day when Joe needs to take a break again after his severe rhomboid muscle strain.”

“Rhomboid?” Mark asks genuinely. For some reason he feels like he’s supposed to remember the term, only he can’t for the life of him recall if it’s a shape or the name of a bone. 

“Here,” Jaehyun puts his half-eaten kebab down and rises up to hover above Mark, then places his hand on the spot on his back below his shoulder. “This is your rhomboid muscle.” 

Then Jaehyun immediately whispers into his ear and Mark knows the reason behind the supposed demonstration. 

“He said that it hurt a lot,” Jaehyun explains once he settles back down to his seat. “Poor Joe couldn’t even get up from bed and he was complaining again and again about how his core training should’ve been adequate for him to be able to move his body more freely but sometimes we take our functional muscles for granted.” 

Jeno then walks into the pantry and tells Mark that the Captain has called for a huddle and so he excuses himself as Jaehyun gives him a thumbs up, his ears still ringing with what he has just been told. 

_Keep both eyes on the new kid, I think he might be the brain of the Bandits._

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 45, part 1_ **

The set-up hasn’t been easy, of course, because between cajoling the hotel manager into letting him have the pool and the presidential suite overnight (with a sweet kiss and maybe a vaguely-worded promise that Taeyong will contact him again) and making Haechan hack him a black card so that he can “pay” for the exhobitant expenses, this view on the top of the fucking world has been the hardest he has worked in getting a dick appointment and so—

“You better make this worth everything,” he says to Jaehyun when he comes out of the lift and takes measured steps towards him, his feet sauntering at the edge of the pool and his eyes admiring the light decorations, flickering softly against the dark sky and looking so close to the bright full moon. He’s looking like he’s not taken aback by the scale of the surprise promised to him in that cryptically-coded invitation card he made a school-going teenager slip inside his pocket while going into his usual train. 

“And this is all because I challenged you to find me,” Jaehyun answers when he’s within the reach of Yuta’s lips, the crooked smirk on his face looking deadly amidst the bulbous shine. “You know me so well.” 

“Indeed,” Yuta says, extending his arms from the buckle of Jaehyun’s belt to wrap his waist and leaning his head against his chest. “Do you like it?”

“The lights? Yes,” Jaehyun says, his fingers fiddling gently at the earrings and the hair covering his ear. 

Yuta likes that Jaehyun is growing more adept at playing this game, so he lets out a small giggle and leans closer. 

“Just the lights?”

“The pool too,” Jaehyun continues, “you made the water glow.” 

“Just the lights and the pool?”

Jaehyun raises his head and looks up towards the sky, “The height as well, the rooftop of the tallest hotel in the city—that’s a lot of money for just a date.” 

“A date?” Yuta says, starting to feel like Jaehyun is purposely testing him. 

Jaehyun pokes at Yuta’s waist playfully so that the tickling makes him fall into his arms. 

“A date, yes,” Jaehyun whispers. “With the perpetrator of the _most beautiful crime in history_.” 

Yuta suddenly finds himself frozen in place while Jaehyun hums breathily into his ear, unable to respond to him sneakily pulling out the blindfold that Yuta used in the last encounter and tie it behind his head, covering his eyes while his fingers gently pull down his dress and reveal his gartered corset. 

“So you found it,” Yuta carefully utters as the sudden realisation dawns upon him. “Good job.” 

“I don’t know how you do it,” Jaehyun says slowly, continuing his attempt in coaxing Yuta into exposing anything that could potentially damage further. “I actually _rushed_ to the scene, but you managed to slip that blindfold into a journalist’s pocket without him noticing and imbue it with enough of that perfume of yours that only I was able to identify.” 

Yuta doesn’t even have to imagine what must have happened because he got the information from a first-hand witness—there was Jaehyun arriving late to the scene, then there was an argument, then there was that wrongful chase that got him disciplined. 

“I have my ways,” Yuta says, more than a little pleased that Jaehyun found that Easter egg he planted in the event there was a small chance of him finding it, even if the rose-scented perfume did the job well enough to jeopardise Jaehyun’s job and it was a miracle that he remain staunch in his loyalty to the police. 

Yuta smiles to himself knowing that he has chosen well—that Jaehyun is the kind of cop worth fucking even if he isn’t currently useful in advancing their acts. 

Jaehyun fits him into his warm embrace and nuzzles him at the neck. “What’s the good in trying to remove me from the case? You know that’s not going to stop me, right?”

“I was hoping that you’d get a little deranged, you know?” Yuta answers honestly, “I have a feeling that you’re going to be really good at fucking when you’re unhinged.” 

At that, Jaehyun bends slightly to kiss Yuta. “Too bad,” he whispers, “I’m pretty good at not being deranged about the perils of my job.” It’s the kind of kiss that steals Yuta’s breath away because he pushes his tongue in deep as he fondles all over his body and Yuta decides to entertain him just for a little bit, kissing until they are both running out of air and panting to keep standing. 

“There’s nothing incriminating here, you know?” Yuta smirks when they part, suddenly realising that Jaehyun hasn’t come to fuck him but to try _arresting_ him. “You won’t find anything on my body.” 

“I know,” Jaehyun says, fingers slipping into his thigh garter. “I’m not trying to find anything incriminating. I already have most of them.” 

Yuta takes out Jaehyun’s belt, throws it into the pool and puts a hand inside his pants to grab him hard. “Just so you know, I’ll make you go down with me.” 

The force of the squeeze lets out a groan of pleasure out of the back of Jaehyun’s throat and he instinctively retracts his fingers from the garter belt to the curve of his butt before saying anything further. 

“That won’t intimidate me,” he says. “In that time we’ve been apart, you see, I have gathered enough evidences for at least ten different cases to be used against you—”

“And prove that I’m what? A man-eater?”

“At least if I can put you in detention—”

“That’s not entirely sounding like a sound strategy.”

“Because you’re not a sound criminal,” Jaehyun says, locking their lips back, this time into a gentle, romantic kiss and then Yuta hears it, the distant sound of sirens approaching them and he can’t help but feeling a little excited at Jaehyun’s ruthlessness and a little begrudging admiration for Taeyong for having warned him to not go deeper with Jaehyun. 

Yuta then moves to remove the blindfold covering his face and hold Jaehyun’s chin so that their eyes are meeting for him to do something that has never failed to convince any man in heat. 

“Are you really going to put me in a cage,” he says, fluttering his eyelashes and creasing his forehead for a questionably pleading face. “Would you not want to—”

Then he bites Jaehyun’s lips hard enough to draw blood and when Jaehyun squeals in pain, he jumps into the pool. 

“What are you doing?” Jaehyun barks. 

“—as I was saying,” Yuta says, swimming to the edge of the pool and floating his body so that his naked butt is visible through the water, “would you not want to put your erection inside me?”

Jaehyun pulls out his phone, seemingly about to lead the police to their location but eyes still on Yuta so he leans backward in the water and slowly removes the remaining articles of clothes on his body: the garters, the zipped corset and the bra and the support.

“And if I say no?”

“I have nothing to lose,” Yuta says, smirking gleefully with the dark-coloured pieces of garment floating in the water around him. “Even if you catch me, you’d need some time to catch my partners, so you’re not really solving anything—and just so you know, my partners are far more intelligent than I am.”

Jaehyun looks like he’s contemplating for a moment as he salivates at the sight in front of him, and Yuta has a pretty good guess that he’s weighing the pros and cons about getting it on with a notorious criminal that’s hell-bent on turning his world upside-down, even orchestrating his first-ever removal from a case and now that he stands a good chance on rehabilitating his reputation, he has seemingly decide that his code of conduct is more worth protecting, so Yuta adds on. 

“Also, I have enough stamina to do this all night,” he tells him. “So you’re going to be the only loser here.” 

He watches intently as Jaehyun’s resolve gradually flies away, because he’s unzipping his pants as his phone attempts to connect and Yuta sees it right there, the erection that overturned his rationale and splashes the water in excitement when he hears Jaehyun speak to the phone. 

“Sorry Captain,” Jaehyun says, “false alarm.”

Yuta kicks the water in jubilance while Jaehyun continues to explain. 

“Yes, I’m going to take a while, I’ll explain later because the hotel manager is throwing a fit for getting him yelled at by a customer.” 

Then Jaehyun jumps into the pool once he hangs up and seizes Yuta immediately for a deep, hungry kiss that’s ferocious enough to distract him from the fact that he has put his erection inside, thrusting wildly against the buoyancy as the loud sirens blare nearer and nearer and Yuta tries to keep his head above the water despite the hard fucking their lower bodies are doing. 

“ _Shit_ ,” he manages to let out, his breathing staying on beat with the collision of their hips, a thrust in then a gasp of air out, and he grabs on to Jaehyun’s hair as they do this thing they have both been dying for, locking their bodies as the traps they laid out crash against each other and no amount of biting and licking and kissing will be enough for them because at their cores they are the most incorrigible people they have both met. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Jaehyun hisses, his hips losing a battle with the water pressure while the sirens grow softter and softer and his body shudders when he comes, the spill warming the water around Yuta’s hips and he thinks he finally knows what pleasure actually means, what victory finally tastes like, and most of all, what being on top of the fucking world finally feels like. 

The kiss that follows feels like the beginning of the end and maybe, Yuta thinks, it really wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone like Jaehyun finish him off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- finally some actions  
> \- thanks for reading and please stay safe  
> \- next chapter in 5 days


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta’s thinking that Jaehyun might just end up to be something like the last meal of a death row prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- things to look out for: some dotae, some johnten  
> \- please enjoy this chapter!  
> \- all forms of feedback are welcomed!

*

on the top of the fucking world - chapter 4

*

**_day 46, after midnight_ **

The door unlocks just as Taeyong opens yet another can of cider, having been drinking so much that Yuta’s probably going to tease him for being the first person ever to be drunk on cider but Taeyong currently isn’t in the mood for jokes and teases. 

“What the fuck are you doing,” he spits when Yuta appears, trying to pack as much animosity as possible because he knows that the current Yuta listens to no reason. “Haechan told me just how close you were to being handcuffed.” 

“I know,” Yuta says as he inhales deeply then rushes towards Taeyong and immediately drops his weight on him, “it was so close.” 

Yuta’s voice is so soft and so mellow, as though he’s letting out the residual panic that has been inhibited by the many ways they skirt around the laws that Taeyong feels his anger seeping away and he sighs in relief, reminding himself that he really should be glad after all that his partner has returned to him, safe and sound. It’s not the first time that Yuta has put himself in danger in the name of creating a smokescreen to ensure the success of their acts, even if this time around, more than any other time, Yuta has arguably acted on his own for self-serving reasons. They have been partners for so long, Taeyong thinks again, that it doesn’t matter how often they disagree with each other, a partner is a partner regardless. 

“At least you’re back now,” Taeyong opens up his arms and secures Yuta in them. “You’ll have to be more care—”

“He fucks so good.” 

Taeyong stops for a few seconds to let the gravity of what he has just heard fall on him. “ _What._ ” 

“He really does,” Yuta gushes so dreamily that Taeyong swears he’s hearing him melt in real time. “He’s got an amazing sense for rhythm, that one. It’s almost like—”

“ _What,”_ Taeyong asks again, somewhat dreading having to hear it, because they usually don’t talk about things they do with their “side hustles” unless absolutely necessary; like when it got so good that they had to extend their stay or when it got so bad that they had to leave before anything else happened that Haechan wouldn’t be ready to support. For Yuta to be this smashed out, that handsome policeman must have been some kind of a phenomenal lay, because Yuta doesn’t fuck around easily—metaphorically, literally, figuratively. 

Yuta nuzzles Taeyong in the most nauseatingly infatuated manner he has ever seen him in. 

“It’s almost like he’s perfect for me,” he sighs, almost whimpering. “And I miss him so much already,” 

“Him or his dick?” Taeyong doesn’t think that he has heard Yuta wrong, but he’s still incapable of digesting the reality, because this is not the Yuta he knows—his confident, alluring partner whose weaponisation of his sex appeal has weedled them out of countless troubles; his intelligent, thoughtful friend who always has his well-being in his mind; his irreplaceable soulmate whose absence could feel a lot like some form of paralysis. 

This is Yuta at the peak of his intoxication and Taeyong knows he should stop him before he really gets himself—and him too, if he has to be honest—locked up for good. 

“What a stud,” Yuta says as he kisses the sensitive area below Taeyong’s sideburn and so Taeyong tightens his hold as a warning to force a gasp from Yuta. 

“Stop thinking with your dick,” he hisses. 

He can’t see Yuta’s face right now, but Taeyong can feel Yuta’s cheeks rising up slowly in a sly smile that’s only reserved for all the times he manages to think of an ultimate finishing move. 

“But he got me so high so I thought maybe being captured by him isn’t that bad, you know?”

Taeyong immediately pushes Yuta away and glares at him furiously as he decides if he should be feeling scandalised, incensed, disgusted, or all of them. 

“Go fuck yourself.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 45, part 2_ **

The presidential suite is designed exactly just for people like Jaehyun, with the soft and unbearably romantic lights against the pastel-coloured walls and the slow jazz music, and it’s messing up Yuta’s mind right now because Jaehyun’s fucking him in bed with the gentleness provided by the room and kissing him like he’s the only one that matters—a stark contrast from the aggressive swimming pool sex that they just did a while ago. 

He’s driving Yuta nuts and he knows it, because he’s using his superior strength to pin his wiggling body down and the rose aroma that he has installed in the suite room to mess with Jaehyun is now working against him, because Jaehyun moves like he’s determined to be a permanent imprint in his mind and body and Yuta’s thinking that Jaehyun might just end up to be that, something like the last meal of a death row prisoner and everyone else he had fucked in the past are now coming together to form a congealed faceless shape in his head.

For a moment, he doesn’t remember if there has been times where he had fucked for the sake of fucking, instead of a distraction tactic to buy time for Haechan to hack the passwords to steal datas or scandalous pictures or a method of diversion to turn the attention away from Taeyong thieving around. Jaehyun has been one of the few he has handpicked for his own enjoyment and getting more than what he has bargained for doesn’t seem so bad now—and he’s pretty sure Jaehyun feels the same, otherwise he wouldn’t have lied uncharacteristically to his superior.

Everything about Jaehyun that he has known now seems to have contradicted his findings, because Jaehyun couldn’t have been a celibate, sexless, academically overachieving prude—so he takes his chance to nudge him into baring out his secrets, now that they are pretty much accomplices. 

“Tell me,” he says, still a little delirious from the sex and already collapsing with his belly down, “you aren’t single, are you?” 

Jaehyun’s lying on his side next to Yuta, strangely still having enough energy to have his fingers tapping on the voluptuousness that curves downwards to connect his hips and his waist. 

“Depends,” he answers. “Why?”

“You don’t fuck like someone who, you know, haven’t had sex in a while.” 

“How did you even know that?” Jaehyun laughs.

“I have my sources.”

“And you don’t fuck like someone who uses sex to just get away with _just_ crimes,” Jaehyun teases. 

“Oh yeah?” Yuta says in between gritted teeth. “Are you sure you want to continue, because I might make your dick into the latest national sensation.” 

“No,” Jaehyun snickers, his hand now fully on Yuta’s body, massaging his bare skin. “I meant to say that you fuck like someone who uses sex to get away with _everything_ and frankly, I can understand that.” 

“Why does this sound like a backhanded compliment?”

“Because if I had an ass like yours,” Jaehyun says, fully intending to seduce him, “I would go around wearing tight dresses to bait horny men too.” 

“So you like it?” Yuta asks. 

“Like what?”

Yuta lets out a small, uncontrollable giggle. “My ass.” 

Jaehyun chuckles. “Oh.” 

“Do you?” 

“You’re asking me,” Jaehyun replies, using two of his fingers to take a handful of his skin then lets go, watching it bounce. “I _love_ your ass.”

“What about my legs,” Yuta asks, stacking his hands beneath his chin and bending both his legs towards his butt alternatively. “Do you like them?”

“I love them too,” Jaehyun says, hands tracing along his thigh. “I love touching them, especially when the muscles clench when I put it in.” 

“Do you like fucking me?” 

“Why do you ask that?” Jaehyun says, seemingly unsurprised by what the quick succession of questions has led to. 

“If this is going to end me,” Yuta answers, purposely sounding a little more petulant than usual, “I’m going to at least know if I’m, you know—”

“What,” Jaehyun says, shifting closer before taking him into a stupidly romantic embrace, cradling his head lovingly and it’s starting to make Yuta feel a little psychopathic. 

“—I just want to know if I’m worth it,” he says, suddenly remembering that Jaehyun has put the resurrection of his career on the line for this. 

Jaehyun then presses their lips back together, a gesture that Yuta knows is meant to send a message to his mind and not to his gutter, because he’s finding his chest expanding as it swells a little with the kind of emotion he hasn’t felt in a long time. Jaehyun really is very good at what he does, he thinks. 

Very, _very,_ fucking good. 

“Of course,” he says, “and you’re going to have to keep being this, you know?” 

“Being what?” 

“Being sexy.” 

“Are you saying—”

“Yes,” Jaehyun affirms, as he topples Yuta back to the bed and lifts one of his legs to grab him and starts rocking his hips rhythmically. “All you have to do now is to stay like this, be sexy, and maybe come find me once a week or so—”

Yuta has now decided that this is it—this is the man he has decided would be his undoing, because he has now found the purpose for his life of sins and vices and he’s going to have to start thinking of ways to exonerate Taeyong and Haechan and maybe their little insider and it’s going to be the parting gift because it’s going to be impossible for him to let Jaehyun out of his grasp now. 

“Put it in,” he requests. “And don’t stop stroking.” 

“What the hell,” Jaehyun pants breathlessly, visibly impressed at Yuta’s stamina, “you can still go on?” 

“I can’t, really,” Yuta admits, with a voice so soft that he’s hearing himself purr. “But you can.” 

And so it starts again, for the last time of the night and this time they both know that it’s going to be the last spurt and the last burst of their cumulative energies and it’s going to be a celebration because they are now liberated, Jaehyun from his life of colourless, monotonous obedience and Yuta and his life of rocky, meaningless promiscuity because they have now converged into a crashing disaster—a realisation that Jaehyun no doubt has also made as he spills again inside him while Yuta spurts his own seeds to his stomach—and they have no way forward but to continue ruining each other.

“You’re mine now,” Jaehyun says as he kisses him in the most gentle way possible, except it means nothing romantic and Yuta kisses him back to seal the kind of sick engagement that only they can have with each other. 

“Yes,” Yuta declares, “I’m yours.”

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 46_ **

Haechan’s text is short and simple. 

_I got you,_ he says and Taeyong takes that as a cue to search around his belongings to prepare for his newly assumed identity and he’s going to need some hair gel, boxes of oil paints, crumpled flannel shirts, ripped jeans and a pair of crooked glasses or two. He still has some of them from his adventures back in District 42 where he was masquerading as a poor, impoverished culture journalist but the paint bottles are almost empty except for the dried, coloured flakey remains, so he decides that the first thing Lee Taeyong the independent custom sneakers designer will be doing is to shop for new bottle of paints in the shop two doors down before going to the quaint little cafe where Detective Kim Doyoung often patronises for his weekend light reading. 

Not even an hour later, Haechan sends another alert, this time telling him that he has completed it, literally manifesting Lee Taeyong’s existence in tangible forms by inserting it so artfully into the database and websphere that nobody would be able to tell that everything from the identity card to the medical records to the education background to the artistic portfolio to the blog entries and to the buyers’ listing are all a product of Haechan’s exceptional skills in hacking. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 47, part 1_ **

The cafe is owned by the son of a real estate investor, whose only sole purpose of operating it is to show off his extensive but unnecessarily expensive memorabilia from the classic Hollywood era. It’s the kind of cafe that would have been a runway hit among the youth if not for its overpriced coffee and pretentious healthy cakes, and therefore, just the right place for Doyoung to have his peaceful weekend reading while waiting for some of them so-called members of the high society to spill potential rumours that could be potentially useful in guessing the Bandits’ next target. 

The arrival of the Benevolent Bandits however, has clearly unsettled the district’s upper strata because the cafe’s patronage demography has shifted from gossipy wives of wealthy men to struggling artists of all art forms looking to find inspiration and clearly either have disposable cash or are just making do with treating coffee as food—like this one unkempt artist guy sitting at the corner of the cafe who’s drawing on his ipad while sometimes throwing him some kind of laser sharp gaze that makes Doyoung feel like some form of unpaid art model. The artist seems to be permanently high-strung, because there are times when Doyoung hears him taking a few measured breaths before relaunching into a drawing sprint and then pausing again to eye his environment cautiously and Doyoung wonders if nervousness was stemming from a crawling sense of misfit. 

He closes his book—the hidden details of the Russian Revolution in _A Gentleman in Moscow_ get tiring after a while—and decides to entertain his curiosity. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 46, dawn_ **

John appears in the boiler room at 4am, an hour later than expected. It’s the only time they could reconvene without having their texts being intercepted. 

“You must have been busy,” Jaehyun teases, referring to how much heavier the workload must have been for John and the squad ever since he was taken out of it, down by one detective but with ten times more paperwork after having to file and report all the investigative works under extremely public scrutiny, on top of having to deal with the meddling members of the press and the volatile higher-ups. 

“But surely not as busy as you have,” John snaps back in jest, immediately putting Jaehyun at ease. “I guess you had fun.” 

_Fun_ is not the right word Jaehyun would use, that’s for sure, even if he’s still struggling to decode what he has been feeling ever since he has been asked to “engage” with the perp. It’s not a mission that makes him into a spy or an undercover—because there really isn’t any hiding involved when Yuta had sought him out since he’s one of the cops most likely tasked to be capturing him; but it doesn’t make him a decoy either—because the Bandits have all but established that having a distraction or not, they could still carry out their acts like the professionals that they are. 

But he did enjoy being with Yuta, albeit morbidly, because Yuta is giving him the proximity to the crime while the police drive him away from the case and his life has been built on nothing but his dedication to the law. 

That, and well, the fact that the sex itself was _groundbreaking._

“He’s one wild one, for sure,” Jaehyun says nonchalantly. “I have a feeling I won’t be able to keep up with his energy.” 

“ _You_ , not being able to keep up?” John laughs. “Ten sure found you a _beast_.” 

“Speaking of Ten, is he still pretending dumb?” 

John heaves a weighted sigh. “Unfortunately yes, so it looks like I have to play along.” 

Jaehyun knew from the start that John had another reason for dismissing him so publicly like that, but it didn’t hit him until John contacted him in secret later and divulged in him in secret that he was suspecting that there was a relationship between the perps and Ten—which might explain why Ten had that veil that Yuta was using as a blindfold (Jaehyun was thinking that it probably wasn’t even the same veil, only that the one Ten had was just another similar one that they had planned to use from the beginning to confuse him), and why Ten had arranged for him to meet Yuta. 

One thing that John and Jaehyun were both definitely sure of was that Ten and the Benevolent Bandits intended to sow discord between the public, the government and the highest ranking members of the police and John’s squad—and they are succeeding at an unprecedented rate. 

“So this is the plan? You and the squad pretending to not know about Ten and him pretty much being the mastermind and I keep, well, going, until we get some leads?” 

“For now, yes, so I would need you to keep going at it until we round them up,” John says. 

With that now understood, Jaehyun returns his attention to the sky and patiently waits for the light to peek from the clouds, then pats John at the shoulder before leaving. 

“Going back to work?” 

“Nope, taking a nap in the janitor room until 9am,” Jaehyun says, looking at his watch. “Wish me luck.” 

John sends him an OK sign with his fingers. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 47, part 2_ **

The longer Taeyong talks to Kim Doyoung, the more he despises him. 

_Good thing he’s hot_ , he thinks, gritting through the artificial smile as Doyoung examines the drawing of him that Taeyong has been working on. 

“For someone who apparently only draws on shoes,” Doyoung comments while passing the ipad back to him, “you seem to have a very good grasp on realism.” 

_What a phony_. “Yeah, I’ve been trying to experiment on a new kind of style because I feel like diversifying my portfolio a bit,” he explains, “it’s going to be tough to rely on just one single stream of revenue.” 

“Must be a good kind of revenue then, if you can afford _this_?” Doyoung asks as he points to the coffee on the table that has gone cold for a while and Taeyong immediately understands the implications, so he breaks the courtesy and drinks the entire cup of the cold bitter coffee in one gulp before excusing himself. 

It’s all an act, obviously, because the purpose is to leave a deep enough impression to have a future conversational opportunity and—

“Wait,” Doyoung chases after him and he stops in track, lips breaking into a small satisfied smile and reverting back to his look of disappointment before turning back towards him. 

“What?” Taeyong hisses. 

Doyoung’s look of guilt suggests that he might not have meant to scorn him like that, so Taeyong relaxes his expression to allow some space for forgiveness. 

“You forgot to pay,” Doyoung says. 

Taeyong rolls his eyes then threatens to leave. 

“But it’s ok, I talked to the cashier,” Doyoung says, seizing his arm. “Consider this a commision fee.” 

“What do you mean.” 

“I’m saying that I want to see it completed,” he says, chin pointing at the ipad in Taeyong’s backpack. “I want to see how it turns out.” 

And right at that time, the cafe’s cashier rushes out towards Doyoung to hand him a piece of folded paper that she claims had fallen out from his wallet and Taeyong knows that it didn’t because he had paid her for this action beforehand but it does the job well regardless, because after a brief moment of suspicion, Doyoung pockets the paper before telling Taeyong to come back to this cafe the next day. 

—an opening wide enough to slip him information that would possibly lead to the arrest of the Benevolent Bandits. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 49_ **

Something about the way Donghyuck looks at him makes Mark feel like he’s being read by a software and he’s starting to feel like maybe this is how it feels to be in the interrogation room. 

“My good sir, you’re back again,” is what Donghyuck usually greets him with, but today he seems to have decided that an offer of information bartering requires a more callous start to the conversation. 

“A little on the edge today, aren’t you?” Donghyuck says, getting right to the gist as he handles him his usual order of chicken kebab with less mayo. “Where’s your partner?”

Mark accepts the kebab package and furtively scans around to ensure the continuous dissipation of the crowd before peeling off paper wrappings and starting a small, measured bite. 

“It’s just me today,” he informs, “and don’t worry, I’m not recording this so you can be at ease.” 

The tinge of mischief on Donghyuck’s face suggests that he has been waiting for Mark to lose his composure after being testy for so long, because it has been almost 3 weeks since he started staking out here at the location of the most sensationalised scandal of the city—the case now being dubbed by the media as a _“scandal”_ instead of a _“crime”_ annoys Mark to no ends—and not a croak from Joe the resident friendly face the police is used to and therefore, reporting an appalling record near-zero yield almost on daily basis that Mark’s surprised that his patience is still within stretching limits. He really doesn’t want to resort to direct confrontation with a possible perp outside the vicinity of an official testimonial despite Jaehyun’s hints because for one, his gut feeling is telling him that Donghyuck isn’t going to be easy to crack. 

Mark chooses to let this awkward tension start the ice-breaker and melt this metaphorical wall of pretentious formality between them, then once he spots Donghyuck tilting his head on his palms, elbows pressed on the counter and eyes gleaming with a look of expectation, he braves himself to lay down some concessions. 

“Your boss,” he says, “is still well, I hope?”

Donghyuck tilts a little more forward. “Of course he is. I’m just a kid he hired to help him out, not some punk who electrocuted him to gain temporary access to his very strategically-placed food truck business or something.” 

This sudden semi-confession is throwing Mark so off-balance that he shakes his head in disbelief and almost drops his half-bitten kebab. 

“WHAT?”

His reaction must have been the most entertaining thing ever, because Donghyuck has now disappeared from the counter, starts laughing uncontrollably and Mark immediately regrets not taking Jeno along with him. 

“Oh my god, I was just kidding,” Donghyuck says, wiping his tears of laughter as he collects himself from the ground and serves a customer who’s obviously in a hurry. “Here’s your change,” he smiles at the customer then returns his eyes towards Mark. “Boss is fine, even though he seems to be suffering from what looks like a new strain of flu, so yeah. What about _you_? Something on your mind? You cops must be really busy these days.” 

“Yeah,” Mark says, rolling his eyes as he tries to remain amicable enough for some fake cordiality, because Donghyuck’s words are getting closer to the bulls eyes. “You know, about that stupid so-called scandal and stuff.” 

“Oh,” Donghyuck exclaims, the same way he had jumped in excitement some few days after correctly guessing that Mark’s from the police. “ _You’re_ investigating that?”

“Not just me,” Mark says, careful to only reveal very vague details, something that his frequent visit to the Reddit pages has well-equipped him with, since he knows what are the details that are known to the public and what aren’t. “But well, yes. And if you ask me, I’d rather investigate something else.” 

“Really? But it’s such a hotly-debated case these days, I would have fought to be in the task force. You guys are literally making history, you know? Like that Bill Clinton case.” 

“Because people like salacious things, that’s why,” Mark says, continuing to play up his exasperated investigator persona. “If only there’s a way for this case to be resolved _and_ be useful to the public—but you know, just between the two of us, it’s mostly just looking out for philandering rich people who are committing adultery and what not.” 

Mark turns his head towards Donghyuck to assess his reaction, only to see him looking speculative, as though some dots have now connected inside his head. 

“I might have seen something,” he says and Mark’s hands adjust his belt, ready for the transaction. “About the mayor’s son.” 

Donghyuck sure likes having Mark’s full attention, because he has never looked more alert than he does now. 

“Apparently he’s been widely speculated to be the next target.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 48_ **

Ten wishes that John wouldn’t do that, holding his waist when he’s trying out latte art with the coffee made from the new machine John has just bought. 

“Stop it,” Ten says when he spills the milk foam onto the kitchen counter for what seems to be the tenth time. “I’m starting to feel like this is just an excuse.” 

“Excuse for what,” John asks, obviously not at all interesting in the answer because his nose is buried in Ten’s nape, breathing like he’s taking in the blend of scents from the coffee and from Ten’s cologne. “You can ignore me if you want to.” 

He’s saying all of that but doing the most to ensure that Ten has no possible way to ignore him—hands all over his stomach and lips all over his back, and he would have been a little more appreciative of the unabashed gestures if he didn’t promise his editor that he would be contributing some latte art designs for a special feature. 

He puts down the jug of milk foam and turns his body around to face John, then uses the tip of his nose to bump into John’s cheek. 

“Stop being impatient,” he chides, running his fingers through John’s hair to massage his scalp. “I have a whole day today here with you.” 

John licks his lips and fixes his palm on Ten’s hand, holding it in place. “You know I never have enough of you,” he says, then moves himself closer to the counter so that he’s lifting Ten to the top of it and pulls his head down to make their lips meet, then their tongues and their noses while John slowly slips his hands inside his apron and tickles him so that he squeals out and knocks over the jug by accident. 

“Oh Jesus,” Ten whines as John laughs it off while taking wet cloth to clean the mess, reminding him that it was the last milk they have. “We are going to have to go out to the store now.” 

“Or we can just do it later,” John says while drying his hand, then scoops Ten unannounced and puts him on to the sofa. “After I get my fill of you today.” 

It’s one of those qualities about John that Ten finds incredibly attractive, the way he has absolutely correct assessment of his own strengths, intelligence and charms and uses it for good measure—like the way he knows that he needs the brains of Doyoung to pair with the brawns of Jaehyun and Jeno’s determination to match Mark’s uncertainties; the way he knows that his qualities are best shown in the presentation and argumentative optics; and the way he knows that Ten’s weakness would always be the area that connects his arm with his shoulder. 

And it’s such a convenient weakness too, Ten feels, because it makes it easier for him to tell him things that he doesn't want to say out loud. 

“Be careful,” John whispers as he breathes near his neck. “I think they’re out to get you.” 

Ten can’t help but smile at the thoughtfulness, especially because John knows about Ten’s resilience better than anyone. 

“Don’t worry,” he replies. “I have dealt with worse rascals.” 

John inhales sharply, sounding still a little concerned, so Ten adds: 

“And we should really go get some milk.” 

John’s head immediately falls on his chest to muffle his contented laugh. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 50, morning_ **

Mark doesn’t usually like resorting to asking for help from another squad, but Jeno insists on getting Jaemin’s help because Captain Moon’s squad members are uniquely positioned for this kind of stuff, he says. 

“Jaehyun’s in there too,” Jeno says, reminding Mark about Jaehyun’s current assignment. “So if there’s anything fishy, Jaehyun would be able to smell it out.” 

“I know it's just a figure of speech but I still did a double take,” Mark laughs, recalling that Jaehyun was blaming his nose for making him chase for the wrong guy on the night of the first Bandit incident. 

“Speaking of Jaehyun,” Jeno says as they pass the hallways leading to the Information Security Task Force, “you heard the gossip?”

“What gossip?” 

“That he has been—” Jeno says, then cocks his head to abruptly stop the conversation, except Mark isn’t as oblivious as he makes it out to be, because he definitely has heard about Jaehyun and his apparently bouts of “adventures” that Captain Moon dismisses as “after-work activities”. The officers patrolling the night zones have apparently reported seeing Jaehyun in places he used to conduct night raids at and recently he was also seen exiting a hotel in wee hours in the morning and the more Mark hears about it the more he’s solid in his assumption that Jaehyun, unlike what the others are thinking, is definitely checking on something and _not_ seeking out any kind of outlet for his frustrations. 

Jaemin is stretching in his chair when they walk in, yawning while telling them that he has managed to gather some intel to corroborate with the information that was obtained from Donghyuck the temporary kebab food truck assistant. 

“Really?” Mark asks. 

“Yes, everything he said matches up to the info supplied by the police-affiliated journalists, paparazzi and the private investigators,” Jaemin says with a pen between his nose and his upper lip, working on getting the printouts of his findings. 

“That’s—”

“Impressive?” Jaemin says, “Not necessarily. Our sources and the Reddit sources are likely the same too or even more, because there’s going to be some first-hand accounts especially on the notorious ones like spotting them at certain areas or what not and when people put all of those together, it’s not hard to see who’s going to be targeted next.” 

“Oh,” Mark says, wondering if this case is going to end up being more complicated than it is, because he has a feeling that the longer they take to find proper charges on the Bandits, the more uneasy the city will be. 

“Speaking of targets,” Jaemin says, rolling his chair to the printer. “I think we need to find a way to find the Mayor’s son right now.”

Jeno’s eyes widened.

“Some security camera has seen him entering a love hotel with that new TV announcer and hasn’t been seen leaving it.” 

Mark grabs the printouts and immediately dashes out to find his squad. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 49_ **

Taeyong still does this kind of thing when he gets restless, obsessively disinfecting their temporary nest when there’s nothing left to be planned because everything has been arranged, their targets locked and loaded, and Haechan’s trove of raunchy secrets all but ready to be launched to the world. It’s the part of Taeyong that Yuta has never really gotten used to but has grown to accept; just like the way Taeyong has had to reluctantly make do with the fact that Yuta will never find comfort in orderliness. 

They are both their different kinds of mess, he thinks, and part of the reason why they work so well is because of the boundaries they have drawn: Yuta would let Taeyong clean to his heart’s content while Taeyong would allow Yuta to let crumbs accompany his nightly musings. 

But now Taeyong seems to have decided that breaking some boundaries is a necessary evil, because he’s spraying Febreze at the sofa Yuta’s lying on, lecturing him about how his recklessness had brought forth some restrictions in their movements and if it wasn’t because of Haechan’s shrewdness and their insider’s info, they would have gotten apprehended. 

“Are you still mad about that day?” Yuta says, asking the most obvious. Taeyong has a knack for identifying the moment when Yuta would start diverging from their missions, but this time he’s actually doing it for a reason and it annoys him that Taeyong is refusing to believe in the better side of him, that side that made this partnership work to begin with. 

“Yes,” Taeyong states squarely. “Because I know that about you, when you’re in a little deeper than expected and you want more than that.” 

“And?” Yuta asks. “What’s wrong with that? I haven’t failed us, have I?”

Taeyong takes a deep breath, sticks his hands inside his pocket and throws a bunch of pictures at him—of him and Jaehyun and them frolicking in the pool, on the hotel bed, against the window, on the table, many more. 

“You weren’t _close to being handcuffed_ , were you?” 

Yuta laughs—mostly because he hasn’t been considering that Taeyong would ask Haechan for drone pictures of them them and he’s trying to decide if he needs to be concerned that Taeyong is growing jealous of Jaehyun or that he’s growing jealous of Yuta getting more bed actions than he is. 

“I asked him to do it,” he explains, “I told Haechan that I would make it easy for the drone camera.” 

Taeyong’s expression softens a little, but still wears a tinge of resentment. 

“It’s part of my scorched earth plan,” he says, “remember that blindfold I told you about?” 

“Yes?”

“He found it, but he still thinks that it was me doing all of that.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“He still thinks that it was me getting to Ten and slipping that blindfold into his pocket and us infiltrating his information database,” he elaborates. “I don’t know why but there seems to be a reason why they just refuse to think outside the box.” 

“Oh.” 

“I think—just guessing—that the police _didn’t want_ to make the connection between us and Ten.” 

“Wow,” Taeyong reclines as he connects the events, “I can’t believe this.” 

“Whoever Ten’s shagging inside the police, he must be goddamn powerful,” Yuta continues, “so much that it really doesn’t matter who among us gets taken out.” 

“So you’re saying—”

“I’m saying that they can arrest me, or you, or even Haechan, but the Bandits will live on, and these,” Yuta says, holding up the pictures, “would be exactly the type of materials that Ten would need to make that happen.” 

Taeyong takes the picture with the shot of Jaehyun grinding into Yuta and examines it intently. 

“He’s…. _something_ ,” Taeyong says, his eyes unable to leave the sight. 

“I know,” Yuta giggles as he drops his head onto Taeyong. “He truly is.” 

“You…” Taeyong starts, but stops in the middle for something that Yuta has heard often enough to be able to extrapolate from just the tone of his sighs and he’s guessing that it’s going to yet another stream of covetous words of praise for his modus operandi, something that only Yuta can do. 

“Besides, I think I managed to weedle us out of immediate capture.” 

“Why,” Taeyong questions, a little startled, likely because he almost forgot to stop and consider. “Does he know that we have a leverage on him?”

“No, he doesn’t know he was filmed,” Yuta says, letting Taeyong’s arms wrap him in a protective hug, “but I know he still wants to see me.” 

Yuta ignores the way Taeyong’s fists are clenching. 

“And you know that because—”

“I just do.” 

One of these days, Yuta thinks, he’s going to admit to Taeyong that he has been planting the seeds of escape for them, both he and Haechan, because something about Jaehyun has convinced him that they are nowhere done with each other. 

But not now—because now they still have 3 more fuckers to ruin. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 50, noon_ **

The Mayor’s son wakes up to a series of murmurs and immediately, a torrent of cameras click. He doesn’t even get to properly grasp his own situation because the surrounding crowd is telling him everything he’s not ready to hear. 

_What is this man doing here with no clothes_

_Is that…..I think I saw that face before…? The Mayor’s son, right?_

_I’m going to sell this to the press_

And then the chill seeps into his skin and he realises that he’s out in the open, butt-naked and with nowhere to go, he has no choice but to grab a jacket from a member of the crowd who has his loosely hanging from his arm to cover himself and run towards the nearest restroom, the cold realisation that he has now been a victim of the Benevolent Bandits almost breaking him into tears. 

What was it, he thinks as he frantically types into the borrowed phone for help, that got him in this—was it that CEO’s young wife who totally married for money and seeking him out to spice up her life; was it that actress in her 40s who was looking to get herself noticed by hooking up with a younger man; was it—

 _Shit._ He realises just as the message comes back to tell him to stay put, finally remembering the face of that TV announcer whom he had a date with just before he got taken out. 

That face on the TV—and the smartass grin of a round-faced boy who knocked him out. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 51_ **

Working without a partner proves to be a lot harder than Doyoung would ever care to admit—but he would have made a slight concession for the sole purpose of convincing Jaehyun into helping to analyse the anonymously-sent clues if not for the shit-eating grin on his face. 

“Just so you know,” Doyoung remarks while rolling his eyes, “this is just out of habit.” 

“I know,” Jaehyun says, flipping the note with a gloved hand. They are in the evidence storage room because Jaehyun isn’t allowed to touch anything about the Benevolent Bandits’ case and Doyoung can’t rest easy unless his understanding of the case with regards to all the observations and evidence collected thus far corresponds with Jaehyun’s. 

“We are going on well without you, by the way,” Doyoung reminds him. Nothing ticks him off more than Jaehyun’s satisfaction at knowing that the squad would really prefer having him around, but after the Benevolent Bandits struck again the day before, also with the same pattern of only humiliating the mayor’s son and the possible stolen artefact still unknown. The captain is close to suggesting that it might have been the work of an imposter due to the inconsistencies with reports from previous districts and that the note sent to Doyoung a few days ago could be a possible prank due to the spike in online idolisation of the misdemeanours by the Bandits. 

Doyoung suspects that the increasingly positive publicity for the Bandits with every incident is what got the captain to be permanently on the edge during the briefing this morning and sooner or later Jaehyun would have to be called back anyway, so there will be no real harm in seeking out Jaehyun this time around as long as they catch the perp eventually. 

“The note says _the revolution is near_ and then there's the squiggly drawing of guillotine,” Jaehyun muses, “and the captain dismissed it because the Bandits weren’t exactly activists, right?”

“Exactly,” Doyoung answers, pushing his glasses up his nose, “if they were fighting for any cause, we would have known by now. All we know is that they are pretty much sadistic pranksters and probably rather attractive.”

“Attractive? Why?”

“They have to be? I suppose?” Doyoung says, “how else did they keep managing to trap those stupid egoistical politicians?”

“And we know they are both dudes,” Jaehyun chips in as he recalls the briefing from the police chief. 

“Yes, in earlier cases they were supposed to be women but District 69’s report confirmed that they are both dudes.” 

“Do you think Ten would know?”

“Would know what?”

“If there has been a new so-called talk of the town around here?”

“After what you did to Ten, do you think he would say anything?”

“You can ask the Captain, you know?”

“Fuck you,” Doyoung spits, because the Captain’s relationship with the crime journalist is an unspeakable open secret. 

“You should go get laid,” Jaehyun laughs. 

“Are you bragging?” 

“About?”

“Getting laid?”

“You know that’s not entirely an appropriate topic, right? I could tell the Captain that you’re sexually harassing me,” Jaehyun grins. 

“Fuck you for starting it,” Doyoung curses again, “and nobody is believing that bullshit story about you getting warnings because you’ve been roaming around at night trying to _catch the perp_.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes, and only because I know how stupid you look after you boned someone.” 

Hearing that, Jaehyun pushes the note back to Doyoung and chuckles before walking towards the door. 

“What do you think,” Doyoung asks, understanding perfectly that Jaehyun has gotten enough information to propose the next action. 

Jaehyun twists the door knob and pauses before opening. 

“Check the library vaults, I feel like it’s either the Declaration of Independence or the original copy of the city blueprint that got stolen.” 

“It’s the French Revolution,” Doyoung deduces, “that is being referred to in the note?”

“It’s a clever hint. Not only did that correspond to the ruling class being on a proverbial guillotine, but it’s also referring to the loss of governing mandate.” 

“Isn’t that a little extreme even for the Bandits?” 

“Yes, indeed,” Jaehyun concludes as he opens the door. 

“So, what do you think is the fastest way to sniff them out?”

“I said it earlier, didn’t I?” Jaehyun says with a wink, then disappears behind the door before he can see Doyoung flipping at him. 

Doyoung might have been annoyed at Jaehyun’s flippance, but thanks to his reassurance, he can now start setting his plans in motion with his first priority being—

—going back to the cafe where he had met the artist who was letting his coffee go cold just to be able to keep drawing. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We belong to each other, remember?” Yuta reminds him. “So we either go down together or we go all the way up to the top of this fucking world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- things to look out for: nsfw (like 70% of this chapter is all actiony things) for yujae & dotae; phone action, car action, and stuff  
> \- please enjoy this chapter!  
> \- all forms of feedback are welcomed!

*

on the top of the fucking world - chapter 5

*

**_Day 60_ **

The judge hasn’t expected a call this early in the morning, but it’s proving to be a blessing in disguise because he has almost forgotten about the bed companion who has been spending the night. 

“Yes?” he says into the phone, still groggy, sleepy and also quite annoyed because being able to have good night sleep is literally the only reason why he worked his way up into a judicial position. Restless nights are for prosecutors, he complains internally, not me, a federal judge. 

“Sir,” the bed companion pokes at him, having been rudely woken up by the call as well, “what’s going on?” 

The judge can’t believe what he’s hearing, but he knows that he can’t keep silent forever because unfortunately, this involves his bed companion and so he swallows his pride to face him and announces the inevitable. 

“They got us,” the judge stammers, “the Benevolent Bandit got us. They have pictures of us all over the court building.” 

His bed companion shakes his head in disbelief. 

“Naked,” the judge finally finishes, “they got pictures of us naked for the whole world to see.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 56_ **

Jaemin's pre-lunch trip to Starbucks has him returning with an unpredictable souvenir. 

“A Christmas Starbucks card?” Jaehyun asks, momentarily wondering if Jaemin got it wrong, “but it’s _November_ now, right?”

“I have no idea,” Jaemin says, “but Jisung said that his manager apparently met up with you and you were asking for last year’s limited edition Christmas card.” 

Jaehyun takes the card and decides to not pursue any further question, because Jaemin is famously fond of Jisung the Starbucks barista from across the street (the words going around has him apparently playing nepotism since Jisung is a very close childhood friend of his, but Jaemin laughs it off because Jisung is very cute when he gets shy, according to him) and Jaehyun doesn’t want to risk upsetting his new temporary teammates. He waits for the lunch hour to strike before rushing to his usual boiler room and scanning the code on the card with his phone, then watches as his phone automatically dials the number to what could only seem to belong to a throwaway phone and connects him to a familiar voice. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” says Yuta from the other side of the line. “It’s been ten days.” 

Jaehyun covers his phone’s microphone and rushes towards the observatory floor and tells the officer on duty that he needs to use the rooftop for some secret mission. 

“What the fuck,” he says to Yuta once the coast is clear, “do you think you’re doing?”

“I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore,” Yuta whines, sounding very obviously inebriated and Jaehyun is about to argue that he’s the one who should be wondering that, because they did end their last encounter with some kind of agreement for Yuta to find him at his earliest convenience, but after a few seconds of deliberation, he decides to let Yuta play himself. 

“Never,” Jaehyun says, controlling his face from flushing as he remembers their last encounter. 

“You really left me here pining for you, after everything you said—maybe there truly isn’t a good man left in the world.” 

“Then why don’t we go somewhere today,” he says after swallowing a gulp of saliva and lowering the timbre of his voice. “After my work finishes, as usual.” 

“No can do,” Yuta petulantly drawls. “I want you to come over _now.”_

Jaehyun chuckles, wondering what John would say at the news that their little plan to trap the notorious criminal has inadvertently turned him into a booty call. 

“ _Now_?” he teases, drawing out his voice for as long as possible. “But I’m working.” 

“Yeah but I’m horny.” 

“Just a few more hours,” Jaehyun tries persuading, then pauses as an idea clicks inside his brain. “Or—you know what?”

“Hmm? Don’t tease me like that.” 

“What are you wearing now?”

Yuta takes an audible breath, seemingly having realised what Jaehyun is suggesting, then giggles. 

“A chemise,” he says sultrily and then the line muffles a little, “satin. Did you hear that?” 

“God I love satin,” Jaehyun says, pressing down his vocal chord so that his voice comes out with a slight growl. “Anything else?”

Yuta shifts around for a while, then knocks the phone over with something hard. “Does a dildo count?”

“If you have that with you,” Jaehyun asks, “why do you need me?’

“Because I miss having your body pressing against mine,” Yuta says. “Or maybe, you know?”

“What?”

“Maybe I miss hearing you kiss me.” 

“And?”

“Maybe I want to hear you say things again.” 

“Say what?”

“Things about my body.” 

“Hey,” Jaehyun interrupts, then gives him a kiss through the phone and whispers. “Touch yourself.” 

“What?”

“Go on, wet your hand, touch it.” 

Yuta makes some loud licking sound on the other side of the line, the increasing volume obviously exaggerated to excite Jaehyun that he’s starting to feel himself getting a little exhilarated, except the observatory floor officers are changing shift in less than 30 minutes and being seen with a boner during working hours would deal a huge blow in his on-going efforts in acting to seem docile, obedient and reflective about the supposed “mistakes”. 

“I think it’s hard now,” Yuta says. 

“You _think_?” Jaehyun asks, suddenly panicking about Yuta’s drunken state and whether he could even get him done when he’s so wasted—in the middle of the day, no less. 

“Because it acts on its own when I have thoughts about you,” Yuta drones on dreamily. 

“Oh yeah? What kind of thoughts?”

“You know, the way you were such a gentleman to me when I first saw you.” 

“If that turns you on, I think you need to try looking out for better men,” Jaehyun laughs, recalling their semi-charmed (somehow, in Jaehyun’s opinion) first meeting. 

“You’re lowkey pushing me away but it’s making me hard and I don’t know why.” 

Under a different circumstance, Jaehyun thinks, he would be a lot more amenable towards indulging in Yuta’s bizarre mid-day erotic needs, but now this has proved to be one of the biggest challenges in his career: trying to control the torrential flow of blood in his body and stopping them from reaching his crotch, attempting to use the least to draw out the maximum and doing all of those in under 25 minutes. 

“Really?” Jaehyun questions. “That turns you on?” 

Then Jaehyun hears it again, the soft sound of fabrics shifting, satin creasing with the bedsheet’s cotton and he thinks that he’s getting there, because Yuta must have been crossing his beautiful long legs to contain his erection. 

“Yes,” Yuta moans. “And do you know how hard it is to have me long for you like this?”

“I don’t,” Jaehyun says, then heaves a loud breath into the phone. “Tell me more.” 

“And if I refuse to?”

“Then I’ll find a way to make you tell me,” 

“And how?” Yuta’s whimpering is starting to sound breathy, and as far as Jaehyun can tell, that’s a sure sign of his arousal spiraling out of control. 

“You tell me,” he says, “where should we go next.”

“What if—”

“Yes, go ahead, touch yourself more.” 

“A car—”

“Oh, I would have thought you'd probably have done it in the back of a car before.” 

“A speeding one.” 

“What?”

Yuta groans, then huffs into the phone. “I’m getting high just thinking about you fucking me in a speeding car.” 

“And…?”

“So you are going to have to do that now.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course,” Yuta’s giggles are getting more giddy now that he has climaxed. “It’s going to be so exciting, just imagine. The car going 180km per hour, sliding over bumps on the roads and you putting that lovely dick of yours in me—”

“You can’t be serious,” Jaehyun says, badly wanting Yuta to stop the descriptions. 

“—and I’m going to enjoy it so much and you’re going to be so hard that the cum spills all over the car—”

“You are joking.” 

“Watch me,” Yuta says, then hangs up suddenly and leaving Jaehyun’s thoughts reeling, because he has gone into this game trying to outplay Yuta, but it seems like it has been Yuta’s plans all along, baiting him into putting his hands on the deck and he now feels a surge of the familiar kind of dread creeping in, the one that usually haunt him whenever he realises that a perp has outsmarted him and—

Jaehyun’s phone vibrates with a notification that the number Yuta has been using has just sent him a picture of himself, lying with his belly down and his naked ass thrust towards the camera, the satin chemise he said he was wearing pulled up to his waist and the thin strap falling off his shoulder; his red, flustered face barely an inch next to a dildo. 

—that he has no way out of it. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 53_ **

Taeyong isn’t often pleased with his works but when he is, Doyoung feels like he’s been granted an exclusive view of genuine artistry in motion. 

“I told you,” he says, still in awe at his latest work, “that my right side looks better.” 

Taeyong let his eyes blink slowly before responding. 

“I’ll be honest,” he says after swallowing a gulp of saliva, “it makes no difference to me.” 

Doyoung rolls his eyes in protest. “But the result speaks for itself, that it’s better to draw the right side of my face.” 

“I think you’re just in denial,” Taeyong says in an incisive way that stirs up something in Doyoung. 

“Hey,” he asks. “Do you mind if I, like.” 

“What?” Taeyong asks while saving the picture he drew in the highest resolution possible and Doyoung mentally reminds himself that he told Taeyong that he’s in the financial crime division in the police department, so he’ll have to come up with something that corroborates that. 

“Just asking for an opinion,” he answers, hopefully sounding earnest enough to be able to hide the trace of deceptiveness, “and trying to come up with an analogy you know, without giving too much.” 

Taeyong laughs at the connotation. “Yeah, you need to be careful when spilling things out to a civilian like me, even though I have the memory of a goldfish.” 

“I’m pretty sure you don’t,” Doyoung suggests. 

“Oh yes, I do,” Taeyong reassures him. “So go ahead. Give me a riddle.” 

“A riddle.” 

“Yup. Riddle.”

Doyoung accepts the challenge. “Alright. So, say, if you have a cat or two—”

“It’s a metaphor, right?” Taeyong teases with a tinge of playful cynicism. 

“—obviously,” Doyoung rolls his eyes again, but this time with somewhat surprising fondness. “But yes, say, a cat or two and they have a thing for stealing things from a house to another.”

“Okay? Go on?”

“And they usually make a mess out of things, like they tear the curtains apart or leave trails of poop on the floor or turn the furniture upside down or—”

“Oh my god,” Taeyong’s face contorts in gradual horror and Doyoung’s mind flashes to that time a few days back when he grumbled about the shop he stopped at before they were supposed to meet running out of Febreze, “we are not talking about real cats here right?” 

“Absolutely not,” Doyoung waves, “can we go back to the absolutely metaphorical riddle that has barely any connections to real life?”

“Ok, fine.” 

“So where were we—alright. We have two cats and they love to cause absolute chaos in places that they break into, but they also love to steal things. So every time they go into a house, they tear everything apart except for the place where they steal the things from.” 

“Things like?” 

“Pretty things. Like tiny jewelleries and trinkets and souvenirs and pendants and necklaces and sometimes even edible niblets here and there.” 

“I see.” 

“So here’s where the new problems come.” 

“Oh?”

“In this new super fancy house they broke in, they tore more furniture and even hurt the house cat but stole absolutely nothing.” 

“Nothing?”

“Yes, nothing. So, what do you think?”

“We sure they are the same cats?”

“The pawprints confirmed it.” 

Taeyong stares at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at him. “Do you guys solve boring cases like these all the time? This sounds like the most mundane thing ever.” 

“Right,” Doyoung sighs. “Let’s just say that even mundane cases can be torpedoed by the owner of the house who’s more concerned about the torn furniture instead of the possible stolen trinkets.” 

“Ugh, that sounds frustrating.” 

“And with an absolute disaster of a partner too.” 

“Oh,” Taeyong says, eyes lighting up in amusement. “I’d like to see your partner actually. He must be an interesting person to be able to rile you up like this.” 

“He’s not relevant here,” Doyoung snaps, suddenly aware that he’s sounding a little annoyed. “Just tell me what you think.” 

“I think that even the crappiest of mystery novelists can write better cases.” 

“Except this isn’t really a mystery novel.” 

“You’re right, it isn’t,” Taeyong nods. “It doesn’t even have a mystery to begin with.” 

“Oh?” 

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s all the house cat’s doing, the one that got injured.”

“And you’re saying this because?”

Taeyong taps on the table in deep thought. “Because I have a feeling the reason why people can’t find the stolen item is because the house cat has it.” 

Doyoung leans back in his seat and heaves a huge breath.

“You might be onto something.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 62_ **

This time, it’s John who sent a cryptic note to him via Captain Moon, asking to meet up in the boiler room and Jaehyun immediately cut right into the chase. 

“They struck again, didn't they?” Jaehyun says, “and this time, faster than usual. Just ten days after the second attack.” 

John lets out a weary sigh. “You got me.” 

“Yup and just for confirmation—not an imposter?” 

“Nope, folks in IT analysed the materials that got released by the Bandits and they are all from the same set of sources: the drone cameras, witness testimonials, even the same private investigation firms,” John explains tiredly and Jaehyun can imagine that the kind of stress pileup that has been plaguing him. Ironically it’s in this kind of situation where the attack being a Bandit incident would have been the Best Case Scenario, especially when having imposter attacks means that John’s squad would have to take the heat for “dragging out the case” and another squad would have to be called in for reinforcement to not just identify the imposters, but also to dig around the internet to comb out more of those Banditters or whatever their admirers call themselves.

The thought of Yuta having a string of unknown admirers that worship his intelligence instead of his physical attractiveness actually almost made him let out a guffaw—something that John clearly isn’t in the mood for.

“It won’t be long before you get called back,” John says, sneering through his heavy eyebags. “I’m writing an appeal to the deputy chief to call you back.”

Jaehyun gives him a look of confusion. “Wouldn’t that be a lot of work? Considering you were the one to suspend me to begin with?”

“Yup, you’re right,” John nods, “I’ll have to explain that I had no intention of calling you back when I did that—which of course, and that’s something you know very well, isn’t true at all—and that this appeal is truly for the sake of team motivation and synergy along with the fact that you were already tailing the perps prior to that, yadda yadda yadda.” 

_“Were,”_ Jaehyun snorts. 

“Not technically incorrect, I just have to leave out everything after that,” John chuckles, finally showing some signs of loosening up. “But here’s to hoping that the chief and the advisory board won’t notice the shabby justification because they are too busy working on hiding their own dirty laundry, paying hush money, blackmailing people to erase their secret affairs or whatever that would ironically make them easier for the Bandits to target.” 

“So basically I’m going to be back,” Jaehyun summarises. 

“Even if not full, it would be in some capacity—so yes.” 

“Pity,” Jaehyun says, pulling out his box of cigarette and lighting one. “I’ve grown used to having my nights free.” 

“Speaking of your free nights—”

“You know I didn’t mean that literally, right?”

“—I was about to mention that maybe you have to slow things down a bit. Have you gotten his trust yet? From your so-called _pretty girl?”_

Jaehyun throws his head back and releases a puff of smoke upwards. “I think so?” 

“Do you guys never talk?” John teases.

“What am I supposed to ask him?” Jaehyun chides back. “ _”Hey, pretty, what do you have against the rich promiscuous people? Who hurt you in the past that got you this spiteful?”_?”

“I don’t know, _you’re_ the one he targeted.” 

Then John moves nearer and gestures to take the cigarette from his finger to take a smoke. 

“Sorry if I seem on the edge, you still have my biggest trust.” 

Jaehyun takes a concentrated look at his friend and relaxes his expression. “I know.” 

“It’s just that—this _stupid_ case is a lot more than we thought it would be.” 

“Yeah,” Jaehyun agrees. It’s a lot less emotionally toiling because there has been no human casualty or, at this point, national security or foreign relations involved, but when the pressure is coming from the top and from the public with everyone either starting to bury their history or dig out the past, it’s almost like they are dealing with an aftermath of a pandemic. 

“If there’s anything at all that we can use,” John ponders out loud. “Anything you get from him.” 

“I can’t take DNA samples since he’s not directly touching the so-called victims,” Jaehyun replies. “So all I can do is—”

“—make him snitch on someone,” John instructs. “Hacking cases usually take ages to crack because of the ways around the security codes and breaching protocols and in regards to the theft, we are still trying to figure out what has been stolen. If only we can crack what has been stolen or what else will be stolen then we can plant something on that and—”

“—Doyoung is taking care of that, right?” 

“Precisely,” John says, thrusting back the cigarette to him, now significantly shorter. “And Mark is also on the move, as well.” 

“Any news yet on Kebab Joe?” 

“Nothing except some regular social media updates about being sick, just like that new assistant has been saying.” 

“Hmmm.” 

“You know what’s the most frustrating—it’s almost like they wanted to be caught, you know?” 

“Right.” 

“And it’s not even a matter of _when_ but just _how.”_

John slumps against the wall and closes his eyes before waving his hand to look at his wristwatch, then pats Jaehyun warmly as a gesture of reaffirmation. 

“Anyway, thanks for this.” 

“For what?” 

“For talking. I’ve missed this.” 

Jaehyun presses the cigarette on an old metal ashtray and cracks a smile. Sometimes it feels good to be reminded of their flawless teamwork, even if it’s now being done under the table. 

“Yeah.” 

“And whatever it is you have with him, just enjoy it for a little longer.” 

“Is it that obvious?” Jaehyun asks. 

John sends him a contemplative look before answering. 

“I’ve never seen you that alive in a long while.” 

Jaehyun stays in the boiler room for just a little longer, debating internally if he has been the target, the victim, the winner—or all of them. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 64, afternoon_ **

Jaehyun narrowly escapes getting hurled forward when the taxi driver brakes suddenly and from the way the passenger door in front of him flies open as he grabs the handle to stabilise himself, the lock has been released too. 

“Sir...” the taxi driver stutters out his apologies, “the lady….she was kicking behind the seat...and asked me to stop.” 

The “lady” in question is giggling underneath Jaehyun and showing no sign of having nearly avoided a concussion, fingers entangled in his hair full of sweat and panting breathlessly. Yuta looks so beautiful like that, smudged rouge around his mouth making his lips look thicker than usual, his aroused excitement shining out from his lean muscles, glistening and glowing and Jaehyun has never experienced a fusion of peril and pleasure that’s quite like this. 

“Why did you do that,” Jaehyun says when his heart rate calms down and he presses against Yuta to trap the loose fabrics of his dress in place so that the driver wouldn’t be able to tell that he wasn’t a _lady_ and plants wet clumsy kisses all over him, “you could have gotten us both _killed_.” 

“I know,” Yuta says through a visibly contented smile. 

“Then why?”

“Because you were going to come.” 

Yuta must have been completely out of his mind, Jaehyun decides, because only someone as reckless as Yuta would show up in the street near the police HQ and commit a fake robbery to get Jaehyun to chase after him before hopping into a taxi and making the driver dash through the highway to the wasteland near the border just so that they could fuck inside a speeding car. 

This is madness, Jaehyun thinks. Complete and utter madness—except the post-orgasm dizziness is just leaving him wanting to experience it all over again. 

“Excuse me, sir...ma'am?” the driver calls repeatedly and Jaehyun has to salute him for trying, because he’s not in the mood to entertain any question or to assess the morality in forced voyeurism and judging by Yuta raising his body slightly to keep welcoming his tongue, he’s acting like the driver isn’t there too. 

“And you think it’s a good idea to see how I look when I come just right before a possible casualty.” 

“Of course, and you came so much just now,” Yuta says, his eyes twinkling with so much childish eagerness that Jaehyun feels like this whole experience is almost someone is testing him with everything they could and for some reason it only makes Jaehyun wants him more than ever—even if getting a climax at the brink of a possible automobile accident is way further than the length he would willingly go for the sake of pure exhilaration. 

“Are you happy?” Jaehyun asks as he cradles Yuta’s face in a way that almost feels like they could perhaps be something more somehow, because it’s now obvious to Jaehyun that he has been the first man to match his voracious appetite for danger. 

“Of course,” Yuta reciprocates as he nuzzles in his chest petulantly. “You have no idea how happy it made me to feel that much warmth over there.”

“You’re so fucking filthy.” 

“Says the one who’s still hard,” Yuta teases him, “come on, do it again,” 

His words are working like an incantation, because that’s all it takes to rile Jaehyun up again and he takes a sharp inhale then jerks Yuta’s hips upwards and pushes in as hard as he can, somehow finding himself compensating for lack of vehicle motion with the speed of his thrusts and finding it morbidly pleasing to hear Yuta’s voice punctuated by gasps and moans as he hyperventilates while giving his next set of instructions to the taxi driver, having finally decided that he no longer desires an audience. 

“Ma’am...what’s that?” the taxi driver stammers after hearing Yuta’s mumbly instruction, clearly uncomfortable because this time there’s no engine blare to drown out the sounds of yet another intense intercourse. 

“Leave…” Yuta says, sounding increasingly like being fucked for the second time in a quick succession is testing his physical endurance while he turns around to have his belly facing the seat, pushing his hips upwards with the support from his knees, the sharp heels of the shoes he’s still wearing stuck at the handle and both of his elbows grounded firmly to the leather cover, “...us…”

The taxi driver immediately unlocks the driver’s door. “Alright, alright, I’ll be back in—”

Yuta lets out a sudden, strangled gasp when Jaehyun’s hard thrusts are followed by a tight squeeze on his cock and he barks at the taxi driver. 

“Just fucking go!” 

The taxi driver bolts away immediately and flips at them before yelling a loud, echoed FUCK YOU!!! and Jaehyun straps his arm across Yuta’s chest to drag him standing upright in the seat on his knees before tearing his dress open at the seams then pinching his nipple and biting some flesh on his back. The pain gets Yuta to cry out louder as his head knocks onto the roof and so he instinctively uses his palm to put some distance, 

“Wait, wait, slower, slower,” he huffs and Jaehyun decides that maybe he’s going to tell him that he’s not the kind to obey completely, so he drops Yuta back down and pushes in so hard that he screams, then spreads his legs wider as he prepares him for the inevitable. 

For some reason that Jaehyun thinks has got to do with the fact that they were just fucking inside a speeding car, because this time around it’s taking him so much longer to come that he can’t help but mentally curses Yuta with every thrust for conditioning him into only being able to derive pleasure from only extreme circumstances and perhaps, in a roundabout way, only being able to properly come when it’s Yuta he’s fucking. He turns Yuta around so that they are facing each other again, saliva and tears dripping out of the corner Yuta’s mouth and eyes on a face that bears a look of unmistakable ecstasy—and Jaehyun finally gets it. 

“You’re, so,” he breathes, one word with one hard thrust, “fucking.” 

Tears of glee pool deeper in Yuta’s eyes as he anticipates more—both words and thrusts. “Say it,” he says, “tell me what I am.”

Jaehyun has now decided that he’ll let his body overrule his mind for a moment so that he can feel the full weight of Yuta’s impact on him: the way he came like a thunder and shredded him like a tornado; the way he magically convinced him into elevating the stakes of their games and the way he made Jaehyun incapable of not thinking about him, because he has now ruined Jaehyun forever and he now finds himself filled with an almost indiscernible level of intoxication towards this very sexy man who wants nothing more from life than to be fucked really hard while wearing a tight sequin dress. 

“You’re so fucking,” Jaehyun mutters as his lower body starts shuddering and he holds on to Yuta tightly for support right before his entire body feels like it’s going to explode into a million pieces, making the damage of his soul absolute and permanent. 

“ _Incredible_.” 

Hearing that, Yuta’s back falls flat to the seat, the heat from the sun and the stickiness in his back draining away all his life force and Jaehyun feels like he’s almost falling in love.

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 60_ **

Taeyong is unexpectedly fancying the fact that Kim Doyoung is a persistent overthinker, and he attributes this uncharacteristic fondness to the way he had never imagined that being sexually accommodated to this extent could be such a turn-on. 

It started with them leaving their usual overpriced cafe and Doyoung offering to take him home (the _home_ being a messy shack that Taeyong has rented out from an actual struggling actor currently working as a bartender) and Taeyong making their fingers coyly grazed each other, prompting Doyoung to look at him and sighed, then admit that a certain kind of feeling had started gathering inside him. 

“I think I might have taken a liking to you,” he had said, “just throwing it out there because I’m not a person for the guessing games.” 

Taeyong had, of course, welcomed this confession—it came earlier than he had expected, but a foot nearer to the next base is a huge step forward regardless—but he needed to look astounded, so he only babbled slightly in his response while jabbering about not knowing how to react and that he might perhaps probably not been feeling revolted by the idea, something which was a cue to his stomach grumbling and Doyoung reacted by laughing at the sound before suggesting that they go to _his_ home for dinner, and then a dinner swiftly turned into a make-out session and now he’s being pinned to Doyoung’s bed, having a conversation about their preferred way of doing it in between kisses and soft whispers and gentle massages. 

“I like to be led,” Taeyong confesses, his hand moving to unbutton Doyoung’s shirt and eyes a little quivering in anxious anticipation. “And since I haven’t done it in a while—”

“Me too,” Doyoung says, shifting themselves so that they are comfortably settling in the middle of the queen-sized bed he has. “Thank goodness I still have lubes.” 

“Yea, maybe you’d need to go slower as well,” Taeyong suggests, keeping himself busy with Doyoung’s body and trying not to laugh at him admitting that he hasn’t gotten laid in a while, “and spread me out wider.” He wonders if Doyoung would be able to tell that this act right now he’s performing, pretending to be a bashful and inexperienced gay, happens to be his forte (because Yuta’s the one usually playing the role of a nymph mostly thanks to his uncontrollable pheromones) but then decides that Doyoung might have never had prudent modesty flirting with him in the sheets. 

“Is this ok,” Doyoung says, slowly inserting a lubricated finger inside him and Taeyong’s voice rattles at the back of his throat and Doyoung’s eyebrows furrow with uncertainty. 

“No, don’t stop,” Taeyong says, hands tugging at Doyoung’s lean arms. “Just go in slowly,” he assures, pulling him back down to prompt him to not stop kissing him, even though it has been, admittedly, a very flattering experience watching Doyoung trying his best to find the best way to fuck him. It’s going to take a very long time, Taeyong guesses, because Doyoung seems exactly like the kind of overthinker who wouldn’t stop until he finds the perfect spot and the exact amount of pressure he has to put in his thrusts and the accurate angle to hit him right in the prostate and he truly hasn’t expected this kind of outcome but he’s really enjoying this—until echoes of Yuta’s quixotic giggles ring inside his ears and he’s reminded of the bitterness he had felt when Yuta’s body fell on him after he managed to get what he wanted, the cock of his beloved stud inside him after weeks of chasing and Taeyong’s grudge begin filling his his body with a sudden surge of heat and he squeezes at Doyoung’s waist to topple him so that he’s now sitting on top of him. 

“Wow,” Doyoung says, muted curses forming hot air that barely escaped his lips. “Did I hit that?” 

Taeyong finds himself momentarily stunned about how he has allowed his mind to wander, because the images of Yuta getting his butt fucked out that he has conjured in his head begin to superimpose with the sight of Doyoung’s warm body underneath him and he quickly readjusts his face to form an expression of near-ecstasy, then slowly starts riding him. 

“I think you did,” Taeyong says and this time around, he returns the favour and hushes Doyoung while he straddles him, feeling him pulsating with increasing intensity inside him and riding him out into the climax, fixing a contented smile on his face and watching his face contort as he ejaculates before collapsing back to the bed next to him. 

Doyoung must have been feeling some sort of infatuation right after that, because he immediately forces strength into his body to wrap Taeyong into an embrace and after a few moments of feeling his hands touching his body in a renewed adoration, he relaxes into a sigh and speaks into the dent of his collarbone: 

“I thought it would be too fast to confess, but I think I might be in love.” 

Taeyong’s eyes may look like they are shaking as though they belong to a man who’s completely smitten, but in his chest, he knows this is an expression of a man who has in his mouth the intoxicating shot of absolute victory.

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 64, night_ **

Jaehyun finally catches the phone signal at near midnight and almost all the missed texts are from John and his temporarily-former squad, telling him that the Deputy Chief has granted a special permission for him to return to the Bandits case with what John must have described as _a need of dire emergency due to heightening activity from the perpetrators._ He was still skeptical about it just this morning—but now he’s fine with it. 

The whiplash from the news is only rivalled by the cool, breezy wind currently enveloping the air surrounding him as he lies on top of the bonnet of the taxi with Yuta on top of him, covered in his blazer because his dress was torn beyond repair and there was no other clothing option available. Fortunately for them, the taxi driver seems to have found them to be too disgusting to further risk his sanity and hasn’t returned since Yuta drove him away. 

“You’re going to have to leave now, aren’t you?” Yuta asks when he sees Jaehyun typing frantically into his phone, sounding like he’s cooing at him to make him stay, the soft lull of the vibrations of his voice sending pleasant tingles under his skin. 

“Unfortunately,” Jaehyun says, his hand brushing Yuta’s hair to sort of comb it, “I still have my duties, you know?”

“The duties that let you take half a day off to follow some suspicious woman into a taxi on a journey to some strange desolate place?”

“I told the squad I’m following a perp,” Jaehyun holds Yuta closer and pecks his forehead. “Which is, you know,” he says while sneaking in a grin, “a few layers of truth.” 

“Your squad seems so gullible, like the taxi driver,” Yuta continues on while fiddling with Jaehyun’s collar. 

“Speaking of the taxi driver, how much did you pay him?” 

“Why?” 

“You know, depending on his priorities on his resources, he might sue you for sexual harassment for making him watch us do that.” 

“I gave him enough to last him at least half an unemployed year,” Yuta answers. 

“All of that money just for the sake of what,” Jaehyun teases him with his finger, trailing along his cheekbone and his tiny dimples, “ _this_?”

“What do you think _this_ is,” Yuta asks as he climbs up on top of him and straddles him gently. 

Jaehyun sweeps his long hair behind his ear. “What kind of answer would please you?”

“Nothing horny, please, I’ve heard too much about my magical cock and being a better lay than most women.” 

“No self-respecting man would ever say that.” 

“And nothing cheesy as well. I have heard some pathetic ones crying after they realised they couldn’t marry me and tried their best to want me to be like some sorta mistress for them.” 

“Were they at least good in bed?”

Yuta bends down to kiss him. “Not as good as you are.” 

“Was that why you wanted to ruin them?”

Yuta’s eyes quiver for a moment and Jaehyun locks their eyes in a gaze in an attempt to tell him that he’s serious about the question that he has just asked, but Yuta has clearly seen through him, because he maintains the gaze while slowly melts back into his usual state of mischief. 

“Why would you ask something like that,” he says softly, fingers brushing his temple gently. “You’re not one of those.” 

Jaehyun lets his hands slowly run along the curves of Yuta’s waist. “I don’t care about not being _one of those.”_

“But you should,” Yuta says. “Because you have something that they don’t.”

“I thought that would be because they deserve it.” 

“Yes,” Yuta agrees, fingers gently poking at his dimples, “but not quite. You have something in you that is a lot sexier than that.” 

“And that would be?” 

Yuta bends down to kiss him then whispers beside his ear. 

“The willingness to be distracted.” 

Hearing that, Jaehyun’s palms press so hard on Yuta’s body that he lets out a playful whimper. 

“Ouch,” Yuta giggles. “See, now you don’t even remember what you were asking.” 

Jaehyun holds him close as he rolls his eyes and nibbles at his skin liberally, then turning him over so abruptly that he groans in surprise and starts sucking his neck, allowing his breath to linger on Yuta as his lips makes marks on his body while his hand moves to fondle the erection between his legs. He must be so easy to figure out, he thinks, because Yuta wraps his arms around his neck not because he wants the marks to be on his shoulder, but because he knows that Jaehyun has a weakness for the sound of his moans and he’s determined to let him have a full blast of it. 

He takes a break from sucking him when he feels Yuta pulsating in his hand, watching his face as his voice gradually gets whinier with each hardened stroke and letting their eyes connect for as long as it takes to make him come, only kissing him once he spills as Yuta clings to him needily and Jaehyun finds his mind travelling to John’s cautionary words about enjoying this for just a little longer. 

As if on cue, Jaehyun’s phone vibrates with a message that says that _yes someone is going to come fetch you so stay put_ and Yuta throws him an annoyed pout as his body settles down before hopping off the top of the bonnet and starts prancing towards the car dashboard to turn on the music. 

“Wooooooooo!!!” Yuta dances around barefoot to the jolly tune of _September_ by Earth Wind and Fire and Jaehyun almost wanted to call him back but the sight is almost a little dreamlike he’s finding himself immediately mesmerised, with the gust of sand around them creating a dusty cloud and the fact that Yuta’s almost naked if not for the half-hooked bra and the panties and Jaehyun’s unbuttoned blazer. 

It’s a sight so wonderful that Jaehyun has almost forgotten that Yuta is a highly-wanted criminal. 

“You seem to be a pretty good dancer.” 

“Would you come and dance with me?” Yuta asks, still spinning around as though he’s under influence and smiling so hard that his large eyes disappeared. 

Jaehyun heeds the invitation and jumps down as well and takes both of Yuta’s hands then prances along aimlessly with him until the song fades out and The Carpenters’ _Close To You_ starts playing. 

“Oh,” Yuta says when Jaehyun suddenly lifts him up and spins him around then kissing him tenderly to the slow groove of the song before he can even find his balance. 

“ _This_ ,” Jaehyun says as he offers his answer to the question he tried asking earlier, about what they did to each other, “whatever we did in the afternoon, would be the start of our _obsession_.” 

“Wow.” 

“Do you like the answer?”

“Kind of but—” 

“Yeah, I’m going to take that as a _no_.” 

“But it could be.” 

“So what do you suggest?”

Yuta pauses for a while as Karen Carpenter croons soulfully from a distance, then gives Jaehyun the brightest smile ever. Something in his smile tells Jaehyun that he has figured out that their time together is running up, so he’s going to have to start suggesting an overt transaction that would enable them to buy a little more time with each other. 

“I’m gonna need you to kill me the next time you see me.” 

This stops Jaehyun in his tracks and he knows that his ride is arriving soon, but he’s suddenly wishing that Doyoung’s car needs its petrol tank refilled. 

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about this,” Yuta’s hand suddenly thrusts forward towards Jaehyun and starts clamping his neck. “You’re going to have to do this to me.” 

Jaehyun uses his superior strength to remove Yuta’s hand and press it firmly against his body. “And if I say no?” 

“Another option is that you take me right away.”

“You’re asking me to—” 

“No, no, no, no, not there,” Yuta whines, almost like he’s exasperated at Jaehyun’s denseness. “I'm asking you to be your unshackled self and remove all restraints." 

“But you're also asking me to hurt you.” 

Yuta’s smile fades along with Karen Carpenter’s voice and they press their lips together again, this time, sealing the deal for what is supposed to transpire when they meet again. 

“You see, that’s the point.” 

“Why would you want that?” Jaehyun asks, wondering if his confusion is coming from the sands surrounding them or his distracted mind that’s currently listening hard for any sign of approaching car. 

“We belong to each other, remember?” Yuta reminds him. “So we either go down together—”

Something in the ground starts vibrating and Jaehyun forces his own focus to concentrate back on Yuta. 

“—or we go all the way up,” Yuta says, making full use of the remaining time they have together right now and draws an exaggerated circle with his arms, “all the way to the top of this fucking world.” 

So, Jaehyun thinks, this is it: he’s going to have to go all out because Yuta has put on the table the fulfillment of his twisted pleasure in exchange for greater proximity to the unknown endgame and Jaehyun finds his mind clearing up, so he takes a deep breath and engulfs Yuta in a protective embrace to button him up with his blazer.

“They are coming to get me,” he says. “Go now.” 

Yuta gives him a crooked wide-eyed smile and stops Jaehyun’s fingers in their tracks. 

“You told me I’m yours,” he reminds Jaehyun again. “So you have to remember to claim me.” 

The swish of Yuta’s hair as he turns around towards the cab is a mirage that’s so beautiful that it leaves him standing there with his feet glued to the sandy ground as he watches Yuta and the cab rapidly vanish from his sight, his thoughts only awakened by the sound of the engine and Doyoung violently shaking him. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta knows that the endgame is within the grasp of his fingertips.

*

on the top of the fucking world - chapter 6

*

**_Day 70_ **

The Secretary of State hasn’t expected to be greeted by so many reporters and journalists upon getting down an almost 24-hour flight, unless there has been some earth-shattering news breaking in the last few hours that he was in the air but all he’s hearing are questions about what he feels about being one of the _targets_. 

“I’m sorry, but unless this is of national security’s importance,” the Secretary of State states blankly, “I’m not addressing anything.” 

“But sir, it _is_ of national importance,” a journalist whom he knows to be notoriously nosy is saying, “because one of the pictures has you and Scotland’s Duchess of Brightfield.” 

The Secretary then stands stumped, just a few steps to being chauffeured into the limo, cold horror creeping into his nerves. 

“What pictures,” he asks. 

“This is what we’ve been trying to tell you, sir,” another journalist interjects. “We are here to tell you that the Bandits have put up pictures of you and the Duchess, there’s also you and the Russian supermodel Katya Volkova, you and the Japanese AV Actress Shinohara Mirai, you and—”

The Secretary hastens his pace immediately towards the limo and gives his last word before slamming the door in the reporters’ and the journalists’ faces: 

“Again, I’m not addressing anything now, please wait for the press release from my office.” 

On the way back to his office, the Secretary yells at his aide to brief him immediately before calling the Chief Police, demanding for immediate remand of the Benevolent Bandits—

— _at all cost._

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 78_ **

Yuta tells Taeyong that he wouldn’t have needed Haechan’s drone to tell him that he has been fucking someone because it’s written all over his face—the unmistakably nauseating morning afterglow that has likely dissolved all his past grudges on Yuta. It wasn’t a problem before this, because they have struck this kind of deal between them with a few set rules when they started being partners: one, no chasing after the same man; two, no falling in love with the said man; and three, do the man-chasing before they start the acts, not when they’re halfway out of their current location. 

“Really,” Taeyong replies, like it’s supposed to be a matter of fact, like it’s just natural that he starts seeking out pleasures of his own. “But at least I know my boundaries.” 

_“Boundaries_ like the fact that we are leaving this god forsaken city in less than two weeks?” Yuta tests. Their job is almost done, he wants to say, you can’t afford getting messed up like this. 

“And what’s wrong with that,” Taeyong starts to raise his voice. “Why is it that _you_ can go out and have fun with your cop boytoy while Haechan and I stay put staring at the computer and going through all the simulations just so that we can get things done?” 

Yuta thinks that Taeyong has started losing it and he’s not entirely clear why. 

“Is this not how we have been operating,” he explains, using his usual mantra, “has this not been how we work, has this not been our agreement? I put my body at risk while you two slip around unnoticed?”

“Until you almost got us captured.” 

“No, I didn’t,” Yuta reminds him. “I got _me_ almost captured.” 

“And by extension, _us_! And for what exactly,” Taeyong accuses, “I think that boytoy of yours is getting to you.” 

Yuta inhales. “What are you talking about.” 

“I think you’re fucking _falling in love_ with him.” 

Yuta doesn’t feel like explaining himself, but something tells him that Taeyong needs to know something before it’s too late. 

“He let me go,” he says. 

“What.” 

“He could have taken me away, but he didn’t.” 

Taeyong, clearly taken aback by the revelation, turns away to walk towards the door. 

“I dare you to seek that man of yours and see if he would do the same to you.” 

Yuta hasn’t meant for it to sound like a competition, but he desperately needs Taeyong to not mess with his current plans; because it highly depends on Taeyong and Haechan not being caught before he reveals his cards. 

He knows Jaehyun enough to know that he could bargain with him, but he can’t say the same for his partner—Taeyong’s apparent new “boyfriend”, Kim Doyoung.

  
  
  
  
  


**_day 77, afternoon_ **

The first time is an accident, the second time becomes a coincidence, a third time makes a trend and so, Doyoung asks rhetorically, what’s a fourth time. 

“I’m inclined,” John, captain of their squad deliberates as he continues staring at the screen which currently has the roadmap projected on it, “to think that this is a legit informant.” 

“You think so too?” Doyoung asks, still a little apprehensive. 

“You said it, didn’t you,” John explains, “the third time makes a trend and we have seen this friend of ours telling us all the right details. Take a look at the—Jeno, would you mind going to the City Library—first clue our secret buddy sent to us.” Doyoung knows that Jeno will one day be a star detective on his own rights, judging from his dispositions for puzzle-solving and the way he had enlightened the squad about how all the men involved that were victimised in the attacks form a definite pattern because his collaborative digging with Captain Moon’s squad (which is really just Jaemin) discovered that they were all, in some form or other, have ties to the human trafficking ring that Jaehyun busted when the Minister of Transportation was caught cheating with an actress. 

Doyoung hates conspiracy theories, but even he has to acknowledge that there’s something sinister with the Minister indirectly owning the premise where the prostitution ring was busted (by Jaehyun too, no less) by being linked to the shell company that bought it, the Mayor’s son being a sleeping partner of the shady recruitment company that scouted the girls, the federal judge who rubber-stamped dismissals at that time when the recruitment was being slammed with a class-action lawsuit due to fraudulent practices, and finally, the Secretary of State who has been usually close with an internationally wanted pimp. 

The Bandits did their research so well, Doyoung thinks, that it seems criminal to lock them up. 

The enhanced view of the City Library also brings out the few pictures from the crime scene, with one of them having a pixelated view of the Minister of Transportation with his hands bound together with a long silk rope draped from the ceiling fan and standing with his pants down and a more recently taken one of the empty glass enclosure that used to host the declaration of independence. 

“They really got us here,” Doyoung starts his rant, “they really had us thinking that their target after the Minister would be the nearby bank since the library is at the spot where most of the community banks are, and we really ended up not looking into the vaults.” He puts a strong emphasis on the word _really_ , each time with increasing intensity, to remind his entire squad just how easily they got blindsided in hopes of getting the squad little more worked up because the prolonged duration in which the case has been dragging on hasn’t a good look for the police at all, especially since they didn’t manage to foresee the changing pattern in later attacks. 

Jeno goes to the next three crime scenes: the city gallery where the mayor’s son was caught naked in public display and then later, the loss of the original painting of the colonial-era port dating back to at least two centuries; the heavily-guarded supreme court building where a judge had his, well, anatomically-revealing pictures plastered all over the main hall and the original copy of the constitution being taken away; and finally, the national monument in front of the congress where pictures of the secretary of state being caught in the act with his many lovers and paid companions from his trysts all around the globe desecrating the giant statue of the founding father and with nothing yet discovered to be stolen. 

“And if the informant is legit, we are supposed to expect that the swearing-in document of the new session for both the house of representatives and the senate have been stolen,” John says, waiting for Doyoung to confirm. 

“Like Jeno has mentioned earlier, our guys here seem to be hellbent on making sure that our country loses the governing legitimacy—which means that there’s only one more item left.” 

John stays still for a while before snapping his fingers in telepathic agreement and Doyoung nods knowingly. 

They need to have an emergency meeting with Jaehyun. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 78, before noon_ **

The Captain might have been joking privately about Jaehyun being in a movie-like mission, but there has been nothing cinematic about the terms and conditions that came with his supposed return to his squad. First, he was to return but in the “support” capacity, which meant that he could access the evidences and the incident reports but not attend the briefings or be present at the scenes; and secondly, he has to continue reporting his daily activities to both Captains—Suh and Moon—and has to remain on standby mode, ready at a moment’s call for both squads. 

He might have smiled at Mark when he wanted to protest— Mark could be such a naive goody-two-shoes sometimes—but when he found his mind drifting towards the memory of the dusty cloud that enveloped a barely-clothed Yuta in the middle of a barren land while carefully considering the feasibility of living out a life of fantasy with him, he knew that this case with the Benevolent Bandits would be one of the final cases under his name before he stepped on the brake of his high-flying career. 

He would have to tell John one of these days that he would like a break—but not before taking out the Bandits. For some reason, he just knows that he won’t rest well until the case is resolved in one way or another. 

As of now though, he’s just happy to be taking a pre-lunch break at Starbucks with Jaemin, who’s on his 4th cup of the day (but his 10th espresso shot) and also clearly been jaded by the endless paperworks that are both direct and indirect consequences of the Bandits’ attacks on the city. 

“If I have to look at one more report with dick pictures,” Jaemin complains. He’s been temporarily put in charge of the fraudulent blackmail cases and with the widespread frenzy now spotlighting men who have been abusing their power in exchange for sexual favours, it’s only natural that many of the ones who had been accused or compromised have turned to the police in hopes to invalidate some of the claims to turn the conversation around. “And those aren’t even nice ones to begin with.” 

“If those men are as powerful as they are in bed to begin with,” Jaehyun muses, “would they even have to resort to using their position?”

“You’ll be surprised,” Jaemin says, waving at Jisung who has just arrived for his shift. “Some of them just like the high they can get from being able to throw money at women.” 

“Or pretty men,” Jaehyun says, remembering how many of them in other districts have fallen for Yuta in his various disguises. 

“Speaking of pretty,” Jaemin says as the doorbell rings, his eyes suddenly focused on a new patron. Jaehyun takes a sip while waiting for Jaemin to finish ogling, contemplating whether he should get another cup of iced americano from Jisung since his shift is here. It’s not like Jisung is particularly good at brewing coffee, he just adores seeing Jisung’s adorable shy smile and it’s one of the bright spots of his otherwise miserably dull days under this new arrangement. 

Jaehyun is alerted by Jaemin’s strange expression, like he’s trying to draw Jaehyun’s attention to the “new patron” and so he turns around and sees it—a slim womanlike figure wearing a black pencil skirt and neatly-ironed red long-sleeved silk shirt blouse with a familiar-looking blazer draped on the shoulders, chest-length hair tied loosely and lips blood red, talking to someone whom they know to be the branch manager for the outlet. After a short conversation, the figure disappears behind the counter, leaving the manager to call Jisung for an instruction that makes Jisung walk over to their table. 

“Sir,” Jisung says anxiously, “I don’t understand why, but the manager says that the lady needs you upstairs in the manager’s office.” 

Jaemin whistles suggestively, nudging him to go ahead. “Girlfriend?” 

Jaehyun tilts his head to one side, trying to figure out the best kind of answer. “Not quite, but yeah. She’s quite a sticky one.” 

“I won’t mind, if I were you,” Jaemin grins. “That’s a solid fifteen out of ten.” 

“I suppose.” 

“Go,” Jaemin nudges further and winks as he watches him rise from his seat, seemingly happy that his co-worker has something to break their current bout of stagnation. “I’ll help to cover. Pretty sure Captain Moon won’t mind.” 

Jaehyun sighs, but pats Jaemin to thank him for this favour, then bows at Jisung for delivering the message and nods at the branch manager then enters the office, greeted by the blazer laying in front of the door, the same one that he had left for Yuta in that taxi at their last encounter. 

He supposes that he should be a lot more cynical by now, because there’s nothing normal about what Yuta’s doing, infiltrating a public place so near to the police headquarters just as the police themselves are inching closer to him and his partners, not even two weeks after he hired a taxi driver to take him off to a desolate place—but there’s nothing normal about the mission he’s currently on and everything abnormal about the way his body is reacting to the sight of Yuta sitting on top of a desk, his shirt unbuttoned enough to reveal the brassiere part of that satin chemise he’s wearing underneath and the slit of his skirt so high that it’s showing the top of his pantyhose. 

He can think of nothing but his desire to hear the sound of those pantyhoses ripping apart—and so that’s exactly what he does, scooping Yuta in his arms so that he can push him to the desk and sweeping aside the papers and stationeries on it (he’s going to have to apologise to Jisung’s manager later, but that’s not happening in quite a while), a hand pressing Yuta so firmly on to the desk that he moans while squirming out of his hold and another hand tearing the slit of his skirt further up then the pantyhose, and by the time he realises how hard he is, Yuta’s eyes are shining in excitement and reflecting the bright midday sunlight, the realisation that he’s going to be having sex with a criminal in a place across his office dawning upon him like an inconvenient hurdle. 

“I’ve been wanting you to be like this for so long,” Yuta says when Jaehyun presses into a hungry kiss and he says it in a way that feels like he’s proclaiming a win of some sorts, like he has managed to transform him and Jaehyun feels like there needs to be something more than his own conscience to hold him back, something more than echoes of John reminding him that he needs to get something out of Yuta because they all have their livelihood at his mercy, something more than his own rational mind telling him that it doesn’t matter how many times Yuta manages to artfully toe the borders drawn by the unrelenting law, he’s just never going to be able to live a life of fantasy with him. 

“Go on, do it now,” Yuta urges, guiding Jaehyun’s fingers to the buttons of the blouse he’s wearing to rip them out so that he gets to touch the satin chemise that he had worn at that time when he called Jaehyun up during his working hours. 

There’s no delicate way to put it, Jaehyun thinks, because he now realises that it hasn't been Yuta “transforming” him, but he has been his own source of corruption and Yuta has been nothing but an inevitability, a gift that has come to draw out the foul scent of his true self. 

The one who knows that deep down—the only crime that the Bandits had committed was serving men like him their well-deserved retribution. 

“Is _this_ what you’ve been asking for,” he says breathlessly, hands ravaging Yuta’s nipple through the lace of the chemise. _This,_ he’s saying, referring to the release of his unfettered desire, the emergence of his unchained passion, and the singularly-targeted expression of ardour. 

Is _this,_ Jaehyun wants to ask but couldn’t bring himself to say, what you had in mind when you asked me to _claim_ you. 

“Yes,” Yuta says, taking Jaehyun’s hand to his mouth and starts sucking at his thumb, “and a lot more.” 

So Jaehyun pulls Yuta towards him, flips him over to bend him across the table, tears open his panties and enters him—their hips rocking so hard that the desk starts to creak. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 80, morning_ **

The small of Doyoung’s back has this strategic dent that Taeyong loves to put his finger on because it makes him ache for the feeling of a brush in his hand and drawing on a live, sentient being. 

“It tickles,” Doyoung mumbles sleepily and Taeyong feels a surge of superficial fondness rush through his bloodstream, because no matter what had caused their union, he hasn’t felt such genuine appreciation for someone who isn’t his immediate fellow partners-in-crime for a while. Maybe Yuta does have a reason for seeking this out, he thinks, because the payoff has been immensely satisfying and Doyoung has been nothing but the most dependable kind of lover. 

Hearing Doyoung complain in his sleep and whine for some more time before the alarm snoozes again makes him want to disturb him more, so he presses at the dent on his back a little harder with enough force to make Doyoung flinch and Taeyong finds the opportunity to shift himself under the blanket to make their faces meet for some quick, shallow kisses before whispering into his ear. 

“Let’s do it before you go to work.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 78, afternoon_ **

Jaehyun is so incredibly attractive when he sweats that Yuta wonders if he could just stay frozen in place with him like this, watching the salty droplets drip from his pores and wet his hair as Jaehyun spoils himself with the sensation provided by the texture of satin against his body. Yuta likes the way Jaehyun worships him, the way his hands slowly run themselves across his thighs and forearms and occasionally fondling at the fabric, his eyes looking like they sparkle with amazement at the smoothness of the touch. 

Yuta shifts his arm to press on the armrest of the sofa they are lounging on to prompt Jaehyun to fiddle at the strap of his chemise, going back and forth between putting it in place and pulling it down. 

“I just bought more of these the other day,” he reveals. “Would you like to see them?” 

It takes Jaehyun a while to move his face away from his shoulder. “I don’t know how you do this.”

“Do what?” 

“Stuff like this,” Jaehyun says in between breaths, the gentle touches of his fingers slowly causing a stir inside his chest. “like buying those skin tight dresses and lingeries like this one you’re wearing right now. Like being able to get this room all for ourselves. Like a lot of stuff.” 

Yuta knows at once what Jaehyun is trying to achieve, so he gives him a small, raspy snicker and pokes his dimples flirtatiously. 

“And you want to know all of that because?” 

“No reason,” Jaehyun replies, “I’m just naturally inquisitive—I thought you would have known about that.” 

“I didn’t need to know that in order to make you want me, did I?” 

The lopsided grin on Jaehyun’s face provides Yuta with all the answers he needs, so he cradles Jaehyun’s head and nuzzles him adoringly. 

“I fucking love that about you,” Yuta whispers as he kisses his sideburn.

“I like hearing you say that,” Jaehyun reciprocates, hands all over Yuta’s back, “tell me more.”

“What do you want to know,” Yuta says, deliberately making a callback to the night in the presidential suite where he himself had asked the question. 

Jaehyun takes the hint pretty well, because he takes a sharp inhale and closes the gap between their bodies and kisses him passionately before moving on top of him, not even letting Yuta a second to drink in the obscenity that is the two of them fucking again in a place where they might be seen and spotted by the police HQ because Jaehyun obviously thinks nothing of it. 

“What do you think will happen if,” he asks when Jaehyun lifts his hips up for better access, “a camera caught you?” 

The sofa underneath them starts squeaking as Jaehyun takes a gentle bite of his shoulder. “You mean caught _us.”_

“It’s not like it matters to me,” Yuta says, in between grunts, “but surely it matters to _you?”_

“If you think I care about being caught,” Jaehyun says when he makes their lips meet, “you don’t know me enough.” 

Then Yuta’s hands flies to lock Jaehyun’s neck in place so that his face wouldn’t be able to leave his and for a moment Jaehyun pauses his thrusts to regard Yuta’s clenched expression, then pushes himself back in and Yuta relaxes into the rhythm, hands giving Jaehyun’s neck gentle encouraging strokes when he struggles to maintain eye contact as he nears the climax. 

Jaehyun’s warm, sweaty body falls on him and Yuta eases himself inside his cuddly hold with a soft gushing whimper. 

“See, you make it so easy to love that about you,” he says. 

“About how I don’t care about being caught?” 

“Partially, but mostly this thing you’re doing right now.” 

“Which is?” 

“Just you willing to be here,” Yuta replies, “and thrashing away everything that comes in your way.” 

“So you love it?” Jaehyun asks, tilting Yuta’s head to kiss his earlobe. 

“Love what?” 

“The way I thrashed the desk just now?”

“It turned me on, so yes.” 

“Do you love my body?” 

“I love the way it feels inside me— _yes.”_

“Do you love that I love fucking you?” 

Yuta lets out a small gleeful gasp at the question, not because he hasn’t been expecting that but because he knows that the endgame is within the grasp of his fingertips—and Jaehyun looks like he knows it too, because it’s not a _question_ that he just posed. 

It’s a _proposal._

So Yuta bumps their foreheads and pulls him back down to put their lips back together. 

“Of course I do,” he says, “even if you didn’t really do what I asked of you.” 

Jaehyun chuckles into the kiss, like he has never thought that Yuta was being serious about the request. 

“You can’t be seriously asking me to what,” he says, _“choke_ you?”

Yuta grabs a handful of Jaehyun’s hair. “Of course I’m serious,” he insists with a frisky pout, “I’ve never been _not serious_ when it comes to you.” 

The sofa’s leather covering stops squeaking and the silence that fills the room is making Yuta feel like he’s at the brink of sealing a deal, so he decides to show everything he has in his hands and go all out. 

“I mean it,” he reiterates. “I want you to grab my neck when you put it inside me.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I’m the kind of person who’s crazy enough to want you to fuck me in a speeding car, remember?” 

Jaehyun lets the corner of his lips turn upwards to form an amused grin. 

“I’m also the kind of person who would come into _your territory_ just for that,” Yuta says, sending a laser-guided glance towards his crotch. 

Jaehyun’s hand then moves to sweep the hair from his face and Yuta’s taken back to the moment they met for the second time when Jaehyun had called him _gorgeous_ and tried his best to fluster him. 

“Would you give it to me,” he asks, “and take me, you know, proverbially, to the edge of a cliff?” 

“You have such a wonderful way with words,” Jaehyun compliments, clearly impressed.

“And you know you’re the only one who gets to do that,” Yuta explains, “because you and I, we have to go all the way to the top of the fucking world.” 

“But what’s in it for me,” Jaehyun asked, the expression of his face almost bearing the shadow of genuine fondness. 

Yuta allows himself a few seconds to get lost in Jaehyun’s eyes before announcing his price. 

“I have in my hands the evidence that you can use to convict my partners,” he says, fully convinced that Jaehyun has been waiting for exactly that, even if his reaction upon hearing that is to slowly observe the muscles in his face, seemingly determining if this is all worth the gamble. 

“All of that,” Jaehyun whispers carefully in spite of the shock and Yuta finds himself incredibly swooned by his collected demeanour, “just to make me take you, according to what you said, _to the top of the world_?”

“All of that,” Yuta repeats after Jaehyun to correct him, “in exchange for _my partners’ freedom_ and a road trip to the top of the world.” 

Jaehyun’s chest shakes as he chuckles from the clarification. 

“And what am I supposed to do to make a case for exoneration if you’re giving me material to arrest them?” 

Yuta then places his palm on the side of Jaehyun’s neck, the thumb stretching to press the area below Jaehyun’s jawbone to demand his unwavering attention. 

“You’re going to ask them to tell you about their co-conspirator— _the insider informer.”_

Jaehyun then furrows his forehead and stares into his eyes, his features hardening up as he regards the world around them: outside, across their current location, the police headquarters whom he had toiled his blood for only to have his honest accomplishments humiliatingly bruised; inside here in this office space that Yuta has hijacked for some stolen time; and in his arms, possibly, Yuta thinks, a physical manifestation of everything he has craftily hidden from the world, even from himself. 

Jaehyun’s voice is soft and sweet when he seals his agreement for this transaction. 

“Watch me,” he says, a tone that tells nothing about what he’s going to do but everything about what he wants and Yuta thinks that he has never been more enamoured.

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 80, morning, part 2_ **

Doyoung says that he doesn’t like doing it fast despite Taeyong telling him that 15 minutes is actually a lot more time than he thinks, so they ended up actually not being able to do it because their argument itself is taking 20 minutes and Taeyong could only lay mindlessly in bed on his stomach as Doyoung rushes to get himself prepared for work while preparing some simple chicken herbal soup that they could let simmer slowly for dinner later. 

“Oo man scay her am wes,” Doyoung mumbles unintelligibly while brushing his teeth, telling him that he can stay in his place to rest while waiting for him to return. Taeyong doesn’t feel like waking up because Doyoung’s place has been designed in a way that is optimum for maximum artistic inspiration—which is actually pretty ironic considering how ostensibly unartistic Doyoung is—and ultimate love-making experience and it contrasts highly with the nomadic mess that is the nest he shares with Yuta. 

Just as he’s about to start whining one more time, Doyoung walks back into the bedroom with his tie halfway done and he looks so sexy that Taeyong starts sulking again, but then Doyoung lowers himself down to the bed and starts planting quick kisses all over his face and then moving down his body to his crotch for a gentle peck, flustering Taeyong so much that he hides his face in the pillow and opening his eyes just enough to catch a quick glimpse of Doyoung and his undone tie hovering above his dick. 

“Tonight,” Doyoung teases. “Wait for me.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 81, early morning_ **

Mark doesn’t know how to explain the queasy feeling inside his stomach when Jeno’s message arrives, telling him that Donghyuck has been apprehended without resistance. 

“Looking back, he wasn’t a bad kid at all,” Kebab Joe says as he takes a sip of tea from a thermos while the field officers continue inspecting his house.

“But he tased you, didn’t he?” Mark asks. He had found it hard to believe it when the Captain called the squad up for an emergency meeting, claiming that Jaehyun had gotten hold of some exclusive evidence provided by one of the Bandits—the detailed explanation of _how_ did Jaehyun obtain those is apparently something that greatly interests Doyoung, who refused to stop questioning until the Captain announced that Jaehyun will be returning in full capacity once two of the Bandits are put in custody to assist with the interrogation—and Mark is faced with the dampening late onset realisation that Donghyuck has been making a fool out of him throughout all the collective encounters. 

“He did,” Joe answers. “But he also apologised and helped to retain my source of income and to be honest, after a while, I didn’t particularly mind the help.” 

Mark wants to say a lot more to tell Joe about Donghyuck not only being arrested on charges of trespassing but also identity theft and hacking, but when one of the officers comes to him reporting about obtaining security footages to analyse for traces of doctoring, he has a sudden abrupt inkling that someone is watching him and excuses himself to rush outside for a crowd examination. 

“Detective, are you looking for something?” another officer asks when he doesn’t move from his spot, because he’s now finding himself looking at a woman in a brimmed hat who’s definitely staring at him even if he can’t see the face and it makes him feel, oddly, like he’s being perceived. The woman then slowly dissolves into the crowd and Mark slowly re-enters Joe’s house and proceeds to start wrapping up, but not without his mind still lingering on the person he just saw. 

His detective instincts tell him that taking out Donghyuck and one of his partners, Taeyong, is only just the beginning. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 80, evening_ **

Taeyong steels himself to contemplate his options carefully when the volume of the sirens steadies and the door to Doyoung’s apartment is going to break open anytime soon because all signs point to the logical conclusion that Doyoung hasn’t expected to be bringing other people (in this case, well, his colleagues from the police) home with him.

For one, Taeyong thinks, if Doyoung had meant to trap him in his home while he gets the cops ready for the arrest, he wouldn’t have started cooking the soup that he didn’t mean to drink—in fact he wouldn’t have been trapped at all, because if there’s anything Taeyong knows more about Doyoung’s courtesy between the sheets is how anal he is about maintaining a system of checking the health of his life and the people he surrounds himself with. 

The door knocks and he hears some unfamiliar voice reciting the arrest warrant to him, endlessly jabbering about how he has been identified as the perpetrator in the case of theft of the swearing-in documents for the new senate and can’t be released on a bail per Article something something in reference to accusations or indictments involving breach of national security and what else but Taeyong is only thinking about the last time he saw Yuta and the way the final topic they were speaking to each other about is exactly in regards to the probability of this very situation he’s in, about how Doyoung would definitely not let him get away with what they have been doing while he has wrapped his beloved Jung Jaehyun around his fingers so tightly that he has let Yuta off scot free. 

He would have to apologise to Yuta when he sees him again, he thinks, smiling at the officer tugging at the handcuffs to ensure that they are locked tight, because in retrospect he should have known that there was no way the police would let them off the hook for this long without making some sort of plans. 

He has underestimated Doyoung, he truly has, but he’s not going down with putting in the last word. 

“Welcome home, _sweetie,”_ he says as he passes by a distressed-looking Doyoung before being pushed into the car. 

Doyoung’s face, still handsome as ever, is wonderfully devoid of euphoria. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 79_ **

Jaehyun never really had a special hiding place with Doyoung unlike that boiler room that he has with John and it has nothing to do with how he perceives Doyoung but everything to do with how he doesn’t want to be made to have to actually perceive him. It’s a confusing concept that Mark often questions, but it’s the kind of collaboration arrangement that both of them had happily welcomed in order to preserve some semblance of professional respect for each other.

But now here he is back into the evidence storage room with Doyoung for a private discussion under John’s instruction, probably intending to be some sort of partnership bonding to lay out what they had been working on separately as prior preparation to the eventual interrogation session that they would have to do together and Doyoung looks nothing like someone who has been impersonal about the kind of task that desperately needs a work-life distinction. 

It could be the hazard that comes from his personality, Jaehyun thinks, because at this moment in time, he’s the only one who’s qualified to describe what Doyoung is going through and is also informed enough to be able to tell that they are both processing emotions that are essentially the same in different forms. 

It’s a shame that they aren’t the kind of partners that’s built from emotional compatibility. 

“So,” he starts after staring wordlessly at a report without reading it. “It was a lot harder than it sounded, wasn’t it?” 

Doyoung doesn’t seem to want to respond, so Jaehyun takes a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and the action stirs Doyoung into giving him a look of apprehension that Jaehyun maintains until the paper slips into Doyoung’s hand. 

“I didn’t submit this piece for examination,” he tells him, “because I feel like you’d want to have a look at it.” 

Doyoung breaks the eye contact and narrows his glance towards the paper that is now firmly in his grasp. “I love how you think I won’t inform the Captain that you’ve been withholding evidence.” 

“And I love how you still think the usual rules still apply to me,” Jaehyun replies, prompting Doyoung into glaring at him with a mix of hesitation and resentment. 

“Maybe it’s just me overthinking things,” he says, each word soft but clear, “but something about you changed.” 

“Changed? Like how?” 

“And I thought it was because of you being removed from the case—but now that I know it definitely wasn’t,” Doyoung continues, sounding uncharacteristically careful. 

“Are you going to comment about how I look dumb after _boning someone_ again?” Jaehyun says, referring to the snide remark he made previously. “If anyone else hears that, it’s going to sound like _you_ were the one boning me.” 

“You wish,” Doyoung rolls his eyes. 

“Anyway,” Jaehyun says, loosening up his shoulder muscles and getting ready to leave the room, “that’s for you.” 

“You’ve grown sympathetic towards the Bandits, haven’t you?” 

Jaehyun would give him a straightforward answer if he has it, except he doesn’t know if he should have any.

“Same goes to you,” Jaehyun replies, for once wishing that Doyoung softens his need to get everything answered in one go. 

“Unlike you, I knew what I had to do from the start,” Doyoung insists and Jaehyun thinks that he sounds rather unconvincing, but he knows that it’s not the right time to address that. 

“Unfortunately, likewise,” he says, making his way to the door. “But knowing what to do doesn’t always mean that you’re willing to do it.” 

Doyoung takes a sharp breath and just before the door shuts in Jaehyun’s face, he spots Doyoung smoothing out the paper from the corner of his eyes. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 83_ **

Haechan once read that that the worst thing about being in police captivity is their usage of silence to unsettle you: the silence that echoes the quiet tapping from the officer’s finger on the desk; the silence that suffocates when they leave him alone with his thoughts; the silence that accompanies the patience that follows after every line of questioning; the kind of silence that’s louder than anything Haechan has ever heard before; the silence that supposedly starts the beginning of the death of his loyalty. 

Unfortunately for the two officers surrounding him in the interrogation room waiting for him to slip up, it has never been loyalty that binds him with the other two Bandits and Haechan is starting to suspect that the terror of silence is but a widespread propaganda to condition them into pre-emptively fearing it. 

“You know we have all the time in the world, don’t you,” says Jeno, with the muscular movements of his biceps designed to be as physically imposing as possible. It took Haechan only one look at Jeno when he had first seen him in person from the food truck to decide that he’s the harder one to break. 

“I know,” Haechan agrees dryly, in the kind of tone that he hopes isn’t going to provoke Jeno into throwing punches at his face but just enough to annoy him. 

“And you know we can do more to make you talk, don’t you?” says Mark, whose patience is definitely wearing out from the way his glasses can no longer hide his eyebags and Haechan feels nothing but validation of his own people-reading skills for having correctly identified that Mark would be the weaker link. 

The cops might have started the long ass game of silence since they caught him two days ago—but Haechan is the one winning this. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 83, past midnight_ **

The sign arrives just as the applause winds down for the jazz singer who has been performing for the night—a glass of martini and a rose-scented scarf. Yuta tips the bartender, then takes his time with the cocktail before heading towards the VIP room. 

“For someone who’s supposedly evading authority,” Ten says as he appears in Yuta’s line of sight, “you don’t seem at all worried about being spotted.” 

Yuta pushes the scarf on his chest deeper inside to emphasize the dress he’s wearing. “Propensity for danger is what we both have in common after all,” he says, holding Ten’s gaze on him. It’s his first time meeting him in person, as strange as it sounds and yet he’s everything Yuta has imagined him to look like: facial features coming to form a distinctly feline silhouette and eyes more cunning than a fox’s. 

“You’re truly more beautiful than what has been captured on camera,” Ten says once Yuta takes his seat across him. “I can see why our dear detective got so smitten.” 

“And you’re a lot more powerful than we thought,” Yuta says, returning the compliment. “Your maneuvers have done most of the things that got us this far.” 

“You said _we,”_ Ten snipes at him, “and yet there’s only one of you right now—you aren’t even trying to sound anxious.”

“There’s nothing to be anxious about,” Yuta smirks. “Do crimes and prepare to get caught. We have never expected anything less.” 

“And yet you still have something else up your sleeves, don’t you?” Ten narrows his eyes as he leans forward. 

Yuta sends a crafty look over towards both his shoulders and shrugs. “I know you didn’t mean it literally,” he says, referring to his sleeveless dress, “but I still find it funny.” 

This seems to lighten Ten up and he laughs along warily. 

“Yet you’re right,” Yuta continues, “because I do have something up my sleeves, metaphorically speaking.” 

“If you’re referring to the photos of you guys in the hotel, I already have them.” 

“Oh,” Yuta says, waving his hand in the air, “those aren’t going to be consequential. He doesn’t really care about being filmed.” 

“I see you taught him well,” Ten deduces, his face full of awe. “You’ve made a monster out of a beast, didn’t you?”

Yuta winks at him. “That’s too much flattery— _way too much.”_

“Is it?” Ten winks back at him, clearly enjoying the banter. “Because _too much_ seems too little to describe the way that you’re putting _me_ as a bait, even with our supposed alliance.” 

“Yet,” Yuta argues, “what harm will it cause you, really. You have a lot more leverage on those stupidly powerful men than we have on the entire city, so it’s not like you’re going to be in real danger.” 

Ten keeps his eyes on him and uses his glare to obviously intimidate him as he continues, but Yuta knows better than to be that easily daunted. He removes the scarf from his chest and lays it on to the table. 

“This is just a wild guess,” he says, “but you didn’t come to us out of a noble intention to punish those unscrupulous men, did you?” 

Ten takes the scarf and lets it graze between his fingers. “Of course, I’m an investigative journalist, not an angel.” 

“Yet a very devoted lover,” Yuta guesses—and judging by Ten’s halting of his scarf fiddling, he knows that he just caught him unexpectedly.

“Oh?” Ten responds. “Loverboy told you that? You guys are already so tight, I can’t believe it.” 

“No,” Yuta grimaces, even though he knows that Ten is actively undermining the Bandits’ capabilities on purpose. “Because we don’t need him to spill to be able to find out what’s going on, you know?” 

“Oh yeah?” Ten asks, pocketing the scarf. “What else do you know?”

“Not much,” Yuta teases, “just the fact that all the ones we, Taeyong and Haechan and I, were asked to target were all suspiciously tied to this human trafficking ring that Captain Suh’s squad busted some time ago—and no, we don’t have any conclusive evidence that they are all in a collusion, since, well, Haechan would need more time to get those, but I think we have found enough to understand that you intended to cause panic for not just the elite in general but exactly four of them.” 

“That’s amazing!” Ten mockingly claps, then hardens his face again. “And? Your conclusion being?” 

Yuta decides to pause so that Ten gets to reel in the fact that the Bandits are a lot more formidable than he had imagined, then crosses his legs. 

“But of course, none of those is a factor on why the Secretary of Transportation was especially brutally taken down because all that mattered was that he, more than anyone, was the biggest saboteur wannabe of Captain Suh’s squad and you, being as devoted you are, having heard that we were coming, took advantage of it.” 

“I see,” Ten nods in a way that makes Yuta think that he has heard enough, so he takes an accentuated breath before laying down his terms. 

“All we are asking is just this—let us have a path forward,” he starts his bargain, “lend us your imperviousness for just this one time.” 

“What makes you think I’ll agree?” 

“Because the alternative is that Captain Moon’s squad gets hold of the information that Captain Suh knew a day in advance that the Secretary was going to be targeted and stalled the information,” Yuta says, watching Ten’s forehead gradually crease. “Again, nothing conclusive, of course, but the Captain has some really brilliant people in his team who would, I believe, make the connection between Haechan and your email exchanges finalising the details two days before the Minister was attacked and you meeting up with the Captain for some private moment the night before.”

“Why would you even think that’s going to be a threat?” Ten asks, as though Yuta’s deal isn’t even worth a counter-bargain. “That logic has too much denial possibility and even then, you’re the one at risk here and you know very well that even if you snitched on me, nothing will happen?” 

“But Captain Suh is at risk, don’t you think?” Yuta argues further. “Either he gets outed for deliberately mishandling informer tips or you get accused by the police for betraying him for not telling him a precious info that you got hold of and if I know you well enough—”

“Oh, really?”

“—more than yourself,” Yuta says, getting ready to leave, “you’re not about to do anything that sabotages Captain Suh’s ascension to a Commander.” 

Ten then moves to rap his fingers on the table, visibly concentrated in thinking of a way out. 

“You of all people will be fine, you see, but when Detective Kim Doyoung catches me,” Yuta says, “and hears that coming out of my mouth—what do you think his self-righteous ass would do?”

“Trust me,” Ten scoffs, “he’s not that heroic.” 

“Of course he isn’t,” Yuta replies, “but do you really want Captain Suh’s most loyal detective to start doubting him?”

“So,” Ten concludes after a moment of contemplation, “that’s it? All for your freedom?” 

“No,” Yuta says, “not mine. Just Taeyong and Haechan’s.”

“Not for yourself?”

Yuta’s finger touches his lip in a pretentiously pondering look and winks flirtatiously at Ten. “I’m hoping that my so-called loverboy will do something.” 

Ten smirks. “I knew something was up when you kept switching it.” 

“Switching what?”

“Well,” Ten says, taking a sip from the martini glass. “The way you sometimes you used _we,_ sometimes you used _I.”_

“And that tells you things?”

“Of course,” Ten laughs. “I’m an investigative journalist, remember?” 

Yuta knows that Ten can’t be trusted, but he knows that he has rattled him and that’s good enough for his plans. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 83_ **

Out of so many cops Taeyong has encountered (and occasionally, fucked), Doyoung has to be one of the most naive—for one, it seems like he hasn’t realised that being able to arrest Taeyong isn’t supposed to be the endgame triumph. 

“We have one of your partners in the next room,” Doyoung announces, most likely referring to Haechan. Taeyong tries not to not have his worries show up on his face, because while he and Yuta have been caught a few times, Haechan has always managed to elude the police. 

Standing in the corner of the barely-lit, soundproof interrogation room is the guy with a chiseled jaw that Yuta has been chasing and Taeyong thinks that he has now fully understood Yuta’s obsession with him. If he gets to have a man that handsome to pay attention to him, he probably would go all the way with him too. He would have to apologize to Yuta whenever he sees him again, he thinks, because he would fuck that man dry as well. 

“If you’re looking for Yuta,” he says, “I’m not the right person to ask.”

The man at the corner clears his throat as Doyoung glares sharply at him before turning back to look back at Taeyong with a renewed focus. 

“We have that one locked down alright and it’s just a matter of time,” he states. 

Taeyong slumps back in his seat in defiance. 

“Then you’re done. You finally defeated us. Congratulations,” he says flatly. “You guys have successfully lived up to your reputation.”

Doyoung heaves a sigh then crosses his arms across his chest while the man at the corner steps out of the shadow to lurk behind Taeyong. 

“It has been an honour getting to know your partner,” Jaehyun says with a voice that Taeyong is certain to have been occupying Yuta’s mind and suddenly the memories of Yuta staring at the ceiling while giddily giggling to himself seem a lot more relatable. 

Taeyong replies carefully. “Thanks, I guess. He had a great time.” 

“Nice to hear that.” 

Jaehyun’s method is making Taeyong a little unnerved—it’s almost like he isn’t even trying to interrogate. 

“You don’t need me to catch him,” he says. “So why are you guys still here talking to me instead of pressing charges?” 

Taeyong suddenly finds his shoulders squeezed by two strong hands and his body immediately tenses up. 

“It’s because there’s another one, is there not?”

It’s hard to be cocky as he grimaces, but Taeyong tries anyway. “You know that there are only 3 of us.” 

“But you used to be 1, then you became 2 and then the other one joined halfway and now there are 4 of you,” Doyoung says before engaging Taeyong in a glaring competition. 

It feels so jarring for Taeyong to be this combative with Doyoung now, especially considering how excited he was at the prospect of waiting for him in his home to return from work just some few days ago. Even if he hadn't expected to be able to really go any further with Doyoung, he was thinking that perhaps they could have one more night together. 

It’s a bitter pill to swallow but Taeyong, with his collarbone at the mercy of Jaehyun’s strong hands, finally decides to concede. 

“All I can say is that,” his voice coming calmer now that the secret will be let out, “it’s one of you.” 

Doyoung’s pupils dilate in disbelief, so Taeyong reiterates. 

“It’s someone who’s allied with the police.” 

Upon that confirmation, Jaehyun releases his hands and Taeyong immediately stretches his neck to relieve the soreness before giving Doyoung a half smirk. 

“Did you get to drink the chicken herbal soup, honey?” 

Doyoung’s stern glare wears a hint of quiver. 

“It was delicious,” Taeyong teases, “wish we could have taken it together.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 85_ **

When Jaehyun locked the door to the bathroom a while ago, Yuta was readying himself to get his whole gotcha speech prepared only for Jaehyun to seize him into a hungry embrace and now he finds both of his hands clutching the edges of the bathroom sink while Jaehyun pounds inside him hard, one hand occasionally slapping the cheek of his butt and the other firmly holding his erection. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Yuta whimpers when Jaehyun rams it in with such force that his heels slip out of his feet and Jaehyun has to lift him by the hips to maintain the momentum, the roughness somehow reminding him of the things that men in some of the previous districts had said they wanted to do to him except it doesn’t feel as filthy or off-putting when Jaehyun is the one doing it somehow. 

There are frantic knocks on the bathroom door and a female voice asks nervously. 

“Is everything ok, dear?” Yuta hears and he opens his mouth to answer with his well-trained feminine timbre, only to end up whimpering again because Jaehyun has decided that he’s not going to stop hard fucking him just because it has taken them way too long for this to be a logical duration for a simple toilet usage. 

“Would you,” Yuta pants, “give,” but before he can finish his sentence, Jaehyun retreats backwards and covers the toilet before sitting on it, rocking their hips together while the hand that was on his hips quickly seeks out his throat. 

“Tell them to go away,” Jaehyun whispers in his ear, fingers spreading out across his neck and stretching it so much that Yuta’s forced to throw his head back, grasping for just the right amount of air to do what Jaehyun’s asking of him. 

“Sorry,” says the high-pitched whine coming from his throat. “I haven’t seen my boyfriend in a while.” 

Hearing that, Jaehyun tightens his hold on his cock and Yuta gasps so loud that the female voice outside the toilet shivers audibly. 

“Alright, alright,” she says, murmuring to her friends about standing guard while she uses the men’s toilet. “Have fun, sister!”

Then the hand holding his neck presses to suffocate him further and Yuta feels his body rapidly giving up as Jaehyun thrusts in faster, so fast that both of his hands involuntarily move to hold on to Jaehyun’s thigh as he lets Jaehyun do all the fucking and stroking while he desperately huffs and puffs, holding on for his dear life and waiting for the climax to bolt him into an astral existence. 

Yuta knows that Jaehyun’s very close to coming, because his rhythm is getting more and more erratic, the hand on his neck moves upward to his lips to insert two fingers into his mouth and Yuta’s inner organs start convulsing and he immediately regrets having eaten before dinner. He knows he can’t last any longer because the suffocation of his lungs and the pressure on his gag reflex will undo him anytime now if not for the saliva pooling near his throat and pretty much blocking air from flowing in and out of his lungs, but he’s so focused on stabilising his breathing that he hasn’t realised that his cock has spilled into Jaehyun’s hand and Jaehyun has started releasing his hand from his upper body slowly while his hips are still humping upwards to the finish line. 

He takes the chance to recline so that his body is back to pressing against Jaehyun’s and turn his head towards him and kisses him deep for a payback, then pulls Jaehyun’s tongue between his teeth and gives it a gentle crunch so that Jaehyun now becomes the one to gag, causing him to gather the last of his power to pound into him as hard as can and they continue to kiss themself into oblivion while Jaehyun comes with a violent shudder and releases bountifully into Yuta. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Jaehyun breathes, heart still palpitating against Yuta’s back and lips still not moving away from curve of his back. 

The whole thing makes Yuta so exhausted that he can’t even move as Jaehyun takes himself out and cradles him in his arms, muttering some unintelligible apology that Yuta definitely doesn’t need but can’t object to, but he does take some effort to gaze deep into Jaehyun’s face to express his admiration for the job extremely well done. Jaehyun has never disappointed him so far in all the challenges that he presented to him, being a chronic overachiever and all, but it takes a special kind of champion to be able to know just how to fuck him in the exact way he has wanted to: savage and unforgiving and brutal enough to almost squeeze his whole life out of him. 

“That was,” he breathes once he’s able to speak, “the hardest I’ve ever been fucked.” 

Jaehyun brushes the sweat off his eyebrows gently. “Did it hurt?”

“Of course it hurt. But I like it.”

“You like it?”

“Yes, I do,” Yuta coos. “I like it a lot.” 

“But I don’t,” Jaehyun says, stroking his back gently. “I don’t like doing that to you.” 

Yuta rolls his eyes but snuggles in his chest anyway. “You’re such a good boy.”

“I did all of those and you still think that?” 

Yuta wraps his arms around Jaehyun’s neck and starts kissing him. “Do you know how many guys out there want to do stuff like that to me?”

Jaehyun’s deep dimples look alarmingly attractive despite the sweaty fucked-out look on his face and Yuta’s feeling the tiny convulsion resurfacing inside him. 

“And you’re proud to be that?”

“To be what?” 

“Someone whom, you know, that men want to be that rough with.” 

“I thought you knew me enough to know that,” Yuta says, teasing Jaehyun’s exposed nipple. “I can’t afford to be just _attractive_. I have to make people _want_ to fuck me.” 

“That sounds like an extremely difficult thing to do,” Jaehyun sighs in resignation, fingers twiddling with Yuta’s wet hair. 

“Evidently not difficult for you,” Yuta pouts petulantly, surprised at himself for saying things that almost bear tinges of possessiveness. 

“I never consciously want people to fuck me,” Jaehyun admits light-heartedly. “Only _you_ think like that.”

“You’re going to make me really obsessed with you.” 

“Like you aren’t already.” 

“But now I’m going to be _more_ obsessed.”

“With me, or…?”

“You and every part of you. Though actually, you know, mostly _that_ ,” Yuta says, eyes taking a flirtatious glance towards his crotch. 

Jaehyun bends down to give him some soft, romantic light kisses and Yuta’s finding it so much easier to ignore the people knocking at the door now that Jaehyun has filled his body so full of him and for a moment Yuta’s wondering if Taeyong and Haechan would hate him for leaving them like this, because it’s just no longer possible for him to go on without being able to fuck Jaehyun again. He used to only entertain the prospects of being captured by Jaehyun as a fantasy, but now he aches for him so much that it’s literally killing him just to consider the probability of being separated from him. 

“You and I both,” Jaehyun whispers. “We are going to be _really_ obsessed with each other.” 

“That sounds absolutely wonderful.” 

“But I’m still not going to fuck you like that anymore—one time is enough.” 

“But I like your voice when you come that hard,” Yuta whines in the kind of voice that he knows Jaehyun hasn’t built proper defenses for. 

“And I like your strangled girly voice when I have my hand on your neck but I’m really not doing that again.” Jaehyun insists, standing so firm on his viewpoints that Yuta’s unpleasantly reminded that he’s a policeman after all. 

“Loser.”

“Is this a challenge?”

“And if it is? I know you can’t resist.” 

“You’re not winning this, you know? Not this one.” 

Yuta trails his finger from below Jaehyun’s eye to the dent of his dimple and breaks out in giggles as he pokes at the depth. 

“We’ll see about that.” 

Jaehyun holds him protectively, then sighs in the embrace before announcing something into his ear. 

“I’m going to have to take you into custody in a few days,” he says. “Just as we planned.” 

Yuta lets himself melt into the hold, feeling something heavy inside his chest that almost makes him want to cry a little. 

“It has to be _you,_ ok?” Yuta sighs. “It _has to.”_

Jaehyun breathes into his skin to tease him lightly. “I like that you’re so possessive.” 

“Oh yes I am,” he says casually, “I’m so possessive that I wish I could burn the earth just to be with you.” 

Hearing that, Jaehyun can’t help but croak into a laugh. “I thought we were going to go all the way up?” 

Yuta looks at Jaehyun intently, realising that Ten was right—he has made a monster out of a beast. 

“I’ll take you there,” Jaehyun says as he takes his hand to his lips, “however high you want to be.”

There’s another knock outside that they are both ignoring as Jaehyun plants wet kisses from his hand to his wrist and then licking his forearm while guiding his other hand to his cock and Yuta knows he needs to have this forever, this little filthy world where it’s just the two of them never having enough of each other, throwing all sanity to the bottom of the cliff and Yuta realises that he’s finally seeing what happiness feels like—a feeling so amazing that he doesn’t want to remember what he was like before meeting Jaehyun, the one and only man who has been worth the hell he has gone through to find someone like him. 

“You better do that,” Yuta whispers and Jaehyun replies with a smile so pure, his dimples plunge deep into his face. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 88_ **

Ten has never been under the delusion that this kind of day will never come, police motorcades surrounding his apartment building and detectives storming into his door, but what he hasn’t expected is that John would be conspicuously absent from all of these and he’s not even getting a chance to tell him anything. 

“The Captain will talk to you, don’t worry,” says Doyoung and Ten feels like a gust of fiery wind just ignited something inside him, not completely certain if it’s because of his own oversight to have let Taeyong approach Doyoung right under his nose, or if it’s because he knows that more than anyone, Doyoung isn’t ready to spare him some leniency. 

“I wish he would do more than talk,” Ten says, because the pain on Doyoung’s face is worth more than any victory. 

Against all the stupidly rich and the stupidly powerful, against the unnecessarily clever Bandits, and most of all. 

Against the law. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe this is the ideal outcome for them, being on the top of the fucking world and holding on to each other like they will never find anyone more perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- final chapter!  
> \- apologies for the delay in posting this, because I had to amend a few sections and do a thorough checking for continuity errors before feeling confident enough to post this  
> \- thank you so much for following this story!  
> \- shoutout to [hibouxx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibouxx/pseuds/hibouxx) who has been a loyal hypeperson, beta-reader, doing her very best to tell me that this absolutely doesn't suck and is worth publishing  
> \- cameos from joy and yeri, but nothing notable

*

on the top of the fucking world - chapter 7

*

**_Day 89, afternoon_ **

Doyoung rolls his eyes so far back at the sight of Jaehyun that even Mark can’t escape it and it’s the most bizarre thing ever, because while he has heard a lot about the legendary Doyoung-Jaehyun synergistic partnership, they are also infamous for the pettiest beefs in history—and right now Mark is pretty sure that Doyoung isn’t particularly happy about Jaehyun being hailed for his so-called “hidden detective work” while he has been apparently removed from the case and working with the Purge Squad. 

“Welcome back _officially_ to the squad,” Doyoung says, looking at places that aren’t Jaehyun. “3 weeks overdue but—”

“Thanks,” Jaehyun says with a smile that goes beyond his face, “finally we are at one last perp to go.”

Doyoung gives Jaehyun a disgusted look that Mark doesn’t understand at all, but he nods awkwardly anyway, thinking that Doyoung must have reacted like that because of his disapproval of Jaehyun’s more underhanded methods. At his side, Jeno nudges him into silence because the Captain is ready to brief them about Operation Squid, the name of the operation to capture the final member of the Benevolent Bandits. 

“We’ll need a recap,” John says after faking a cough to get the squad’s attention. “Doyoung, would you mind?” 

Doyoung scoots to the front of the room and takes over the clicker from John, then starts presenting his findings with a timeline. 

“Going by the closest GPS approximation, we can safely assume that when our Bandit friends arrived in the city, it was coincidentally the day we had our briefing with the Chief.” 

“Got it,” John says, “so that would be Day 0 and that makes today—”

Doyoung moves his clicker to the end of the timeline and reads the number written, “Day 89. If we can close this case today or tomorrow, that makes it less than 90 days for us to catch the Bandits and that’s what this briefing is going to achieve.” 

“Alright, now that we’ve established the starting point and the objective, please continue with the major events.” 

Doyoung then clicks to the next slide and the timeline zooms in to the 4 Bandit activities thus far, each marked with the name of the “victims”. 

“First one was Day 25,” Doyoung explains. “The Minister of Transportation, and this came as no surprise because he had been identified as one of the possible first targets.” 

“Yup, obvious one,” Jaehyun says, being the most uniquely qualified to talk about the Minister. 

“With his adultery being caught on camera—”

“By _you,_ no less,” Doyoung mumbles. 

“And his persistent extra-marital scandals and the rumours of him changing his target from actresses to air stewardesses, it’s a wonder he didn’t keep a low profile.” 

“What do you guys think that Day 0 briefing was for,” John interrupts. “The fact that the Bandits managed to get anyone at all is apparently a failure of the police.” 

The room then grew quiet. 

“But the Chief accepted our explanation anyway,” John continues, “because the Bandits taking just 25 instead of their usual 30 days to act was an act of irregularity in itself and that this time around it seems like they had some insider help, because from past cases, we never had any of them springing up to action without prior activity of some sorts.” 

“Yes,” Doyoung takes over, “more on that later, Captain, but just to finish my recap, we have the mayor’s son found, with some, er, wardrobe malfunction—”

The term Doyoung uses is making the room break into giggles, so John fakes a cough again to call for attention. 

“—on Day 50, which plays into the pattern of the Bandits going for some regularly-timed attacks until the next one here,” Doyoung points to point very close to the previous one, “the judge on day 60 and then on day 70, the biggest bombshell of them all, the Secretary of State.” 

Doyoung then clicks to the next slide, which compiles all the clues that he has gotten from an “anonymous source”.

“This was discussed in our previous briefing which Jaehyun wasn’t in,” he says, dismissing Jaehyun’s look of concentration at the notes of the previous briefing on his desk, “and we won’t be repeating it here because it’s mostly about the locations of the attacks and the items stolen and the clues are all pointing to the final item yet to be stolen being—”

“The Declaration of Independence?” Mark finally says, putting everything together.

John snaps his fingers. “Exactly. And obviously, nobody actually knows they are still missing right now, which is why the country is still functioning the way it is, plus the capture of the two Bandits has most lawmakers thinking that the police will be recovering the national artefacts pretty soon, thus ensuring that the government is still capable of running legitimately.” 

“Which leads me to this,” Doyoung clicks to the next page, where faces of the two Bandits they caught were displayed. “The left one here is code-named Taeyong, and the right one here is code-named Haechan, though he went by Donghyuck when he was masquerading as the kebab food truck employee. Taeyong’s specialty is theft, Haechan is in hacking and our next and final one—

The screen then displays the face of one of the most beautiful people Mark has ever seen that hypnotises Mark for a while before immediately shaking himself out of a momentary stupor. 

“Code-named Yuta, his specialty is in distraction and diversion—plus being the likely current holder of all the stolen items.” 

“Ah,” Mark says, immediately making the connection to the strange sensation that he had felt on the day of Donghyuck’s arrest.

“So today is Day 89,” John then expounds, “and there hasn’t been any activity from the Bandits since Day 70 because—Doyoung please go back to the original timeline—day 81 is where we got Haechan, and that crippled their online activities and then shortly before that, Doyoung got Taeyong as well, which means that their remaining member has no means to continue.” 

“So what you’re saying,” Jeno finally speaks, “is that he’s pretty much out there, holding some of the most nationally-important artefacts and is kind of useless, from the standpoint of a criminal operator?” 

“Yes,” John goes on. “But yet we are running out of time.” 

“OH WAIT,” Mark suddenly realises. “Are you saying that he—wait no.” 

John points at him suddenly and exclaims. “Yes, you’re getting there, something changed in between the capture of these two and right now.” 

“Because we got Ten,” Jaehyun helpfully adds. “Our buddy here is _desperate_ to get rid of those incriminating items he currently has in his possession and ship them elsewhere.” 

“No,” John scrunches up his forehead in disapproval. “We _pretended_ to have caught Ten—Jaehyun please explain.” 

Jaehyun then takes his place in the front of the room, not bothering to meet Doyoung’s glances. 

“The reason I’ve been, ahem,” he starts, “going undercover is because our buddies in the Bandits have an ally—and it’s Ten.” 

“Right,” John’s tone is stern as he shifts uncomfortably. 

“So, according to Ten, apparently they managed to disguise themselves as one of the information brokers, which won’t be hard for them, and then infiltrated his database. And of course, we shouldn’t forget that one more irregularity in this whole thing and that bears the question—why did the Bandits steal nationally important artefacts instead of their usual jewelleries and antiques and whatnot.” 

Jeno crosses his arms before answering. “But I’m still struggling to understand why the Minister of Transportation is the first target.” 

Jaehyun nods. “Continue?”

“Because our victims were all gradually distanced from the humiliation—first the Minister was directly implicated and was left with nowhere to run, then the mayor’s son was also directly left out in the open but he was provided with an escape route, and of course later the judge and his lover were both humiliated together and finally, the Secretary of State merely had to _hear_ about it.” 

“And?” 

“So I’m thinking that even if the four of them are connected to the human trafficking ring, they don’t have the necessary impetus to target these specific four and steal the artefacts, don’t they?” 

“You’re right,” Jaehyun agrees, “their past indiscrimination is very jarringly different from their current well-aimed methods.” 

“So you guys are saying that,” Doyoung comes in, “even without us putting a stop to them, they wouldn’t have continued after the Secretary of State?” 

“I agree,” Jeno says, “and this is in line with our observations of Donghyuck as well, because they seem to be at the final stages of the operation in the city, on his way to releasing back the food truck to Joe and Taeyong’s room having a map of their future locations.” 

“So who has a vendetta against the Minister,” Doyoung asks, “if not _them?”_

John’s deep, sharp breath echoes through the pregnant silence that follows. 

“It’s _Ten.”_

The whole room releases the breath they are holding while John continues. 

“Of course, the Bandits aren’t stupid enough to say anything other than the simple fact that he’s involved, so we are pretty much just making educated guesses,” he says, the extraordinarily upbeat tone obviously hiding his discomfort with the resolution of the case. “There’s still a possibility that Ten has truly been hacked and compromised, which means we can’t make a big deal out of it unless we want the information brokering to go wild in the black market.” 

Doyoung’s forehead creases in utmost concentration as he recites the whole event in plausible sequence. “Suppose it goes like this: the Bandits want to target the city; they broke into Ten’s database; they target the few that coincidentally have some form of stake in a case that’s been widely-publicised… I don’t get this at all.” 

“What if we,” Jaehyun now takes his chance, “turn it around. Suppose someone knows that the Bandits are coming and struck a mutually beneficial deal with them; so we have the Bandits wanting to take down rich, powerful, unscrupulous men and we have that someone wanting these specific men to be punished—how does this sound?”

“So that leaves us with only one possibly conclusion,” Doyoung does the courtesy. “It means that—”

“Ten has been lying,” John says decisively. “He’s the mastermind of the Bandits’ operations in the city.”

“Wait, wait,” Mark says, suddenly realising something. “So your removal from the case—was it done on purpose?” 

Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows. “Yea, though it’s not completely for the reason you’re thinking about.” 

“It was a distraction, wasn’t it?” Jeno chips in. “So that the attention within the police force will then center around the Bandits and their effects instead of the connection between the men that they are targeting.” 

“Yes,” Jaehyun helps. “And so, somewhere in between the alliance broke off somehow and the reason why we got them was because the Bandit I was corresponding with—”

Doyoung lets out a loud, painfully fake cough. _“Corresponding,”_ he sneers as Jaehyun rolls his eyes. 

“—gave me the tips to make the other two Bandits sell Ten out and now that we got Ten, he’s now selling the Bandits out.” 

_“God,”_ Doyoung groans. “Do they think they are in Gossip Girl or something.” 

“Close, but not quite,” John comes in to wrap things up. “Being a mastermind does make a case for us to convict Ten, but right now the evidence seems to favour his acquittance and the Commander thinks the same.” 

Mark’s head is spinning wildly, but he thinks he’s starting to make sense of the whole case even if something tells him that this is still not the full picture. 

“Whether by luck or by design,” John instructs, going to the last slide of the presentation, “we got Ten’s info about a “logistics expert” who’s planning to either ship the artefacts off or hide them temporarily supposedly meeting up with our last Bandit here tomorrow and if we get him, that would mean that on Day 90 after the Benevolent Bandits have arrived in the city is when they meet their complete and total defeat.” 

Mark’s chest swells indescribably. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 90, morning_ **

Doyoung looks awfully distressed for someone who allegedly didn’t think much about the perp he apprehended and something about his expression tells Jaehyun that he has had that same conversation Jaehyun had with his own mind. 

“Did you ever wonder if,” he asks at the 4th hour of staking out, “you know, you could have met him under another circumstance?”

“Who?” Doyoung replies grumpily. “Taeyong?” 

“Well.” 

“Obviously no.” 

Jaehyun knows that it’s a lie because it’s how Doyoung is, he takes everything seriously and treasures whatever he has and he’s pretty sure having to arrest Taeyong right after promising to come back home to him was a bigger hit to his heart than he had expected. 

“You can tell me, you know?” he offers. “We are still partners.” 

“I’m not telling you anything.” 

Jaehyun straightens himself up as he sees Yuta running towards the corner of the street, a sign that their mission is picking up pace. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 89, evening_ **

By the time Jaehyun arrives at the boiler room for his usual cigarette break, John is already on his third pack. 

“Are you trying to poison your lungs or something,” Jaehyun jokes even though it’s truly unsettling to be seeing John this shaken up. Jaehyun immediately finds himself having a newfound appreciation for John’s relative calmness at the briefing to the team, especially his valiant attempts to show the junior detectives like Mark that there really exists a way to be a complete neutral. 

“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” John huffs. “It’s our occupational hazard, I guess. When I give another guest lecture at the academy later, I’ll have to remind the instructors on bolstering up the syllabus for effective espionage and ethics-life balance.” 

“You’d think they would be bothered with shoring up the mental and emotional defences for the force,” Jaehyun comments, “considering the increasing prevalence of in-person fraud and scams.” 

“Especially when the scams aren’t always deceptive in nature,” John sighs. 

“Philosophical,” Jaehyun argues, “but not accurate. Crimes of all forms begin with a lie. Theft is a form of lie, hacking is a form of lie, and well, you know the other one.” 

“What,” John chuckles at the obvious omission. “You know very well that Ten is pretty much one of the Bandits.” 

“Participating in something doesn’t make you belong to it.” 

“Oh,” John says as he raises his eyebrow. “Trying to make me feel better?” 

“No,” this time, Jaehyun’s the one chuckling, “It’s just that—I just don’t think you were who Ten was trying to scam.” 

“It doesn’t matter who he was trying to scam, really,” John inhales softly, “the truth of the matter of fact is that he did it—and got too smart for his own good.” 

“He probably didn’t expect Yuta to sell him out in exchange for the other two’s freedom.” 

“So now he’s selling Yuta back,” John says, “claiming that Yuta was the one who extorted him.” 

Jaehyun can only manage a snicker. “He did?”

“Yeah, because even after knowing that he wouldn’t really be apprehended, he still presented evidence of that. For some reason, I think he really, really, _really_ wants Yuta behind bars.”

“Which Yuta will be,” Jaehyun affirms. “But I guess Ten doesn’t know that.”

“Well,” John picks the last cigarette from his current pack. “So you got the plan?”

“Yeah. Like we decided: now that we got Ten, we shall move to get Yuta, then we propose a probation for Taeyong and Haechan, then we release Ten but on close monitoring.” 

“I’m sorry that you have to be the next main character,” John teases. “I can’t risk Ten thinking that I’m too suspicious of him.” 

Jaehyun is tempted to throw his words back at him, about getting a new one and all, but he’s reminded of Doyoung’s agony and decides that no mischief of such nature is worth a few seconds of laughter. 

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jaehyun promises, “see if we can strike a deal with him.” 

“Don’t be too conspicuous,” John reminds him. “Don’t want those 4 douchebags coming at us,” he says, referring to the 4 Bandit victims that would be the focus of their next phase of investigative action. 

Jaehyun takes a moment to take in everything that has happened for the past 3 months or so, then heaves a heavy sigh. 

“Roger.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_day 90, before midnight_ **

The blinding yellow lights shining pointedly at him, the deafening sirens blaring victoriously—it’s clear that all escape routes have been closed to him. 

“Ah,” he says, “I’m done for.” He said it in the earshot of the many armed officers surrounding him, demanding his total surrender. He scans around for familiar faces and sees this one who has been in charge of releasing the kebab food truck owner from Haechan’s captivity. He’s cute, he thinks. High cheekbones and large, impressionable eyes. Very adorable and very lovely to look at—but his eyebrows vaguely remind Yuta of a seagull and he has to suppress his own giggles. 

Then he looks to his left and sees this handsome one with sharp eyes and serious expression, wondering what Taeyong likes in him and pins the question into his mind for the future; then a tall, gorgeous, bulky one that looks like he could be the one Ten has his grip on. Good choice, he thinks, probably fucks well too. Yuta would have wanted to have a go at him if it wasn’t because of some other people. 

And then he shifts his head slightly towards his right and sees it, that _some other people_ he has been yearning for—the face of a man worthy of his everything. 

Jaehyun points the gun at him right between the eyes, his face wearing no indication that he knows him inside out and has the ability to take him apart with just a glare. 

“You got me,” he says, appreciating just how handsome Jaehyun looks standing there, wielding a gun and wearing his protective gear and Yuta lets himself be intoxicated by this moment of his absolute fantasy. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 94_ **

Ten has never seen a career comeback this glorious during his entire accomplished journalistic life, but Jung Jaehyun has never been one to settle for anything he deems ordinary. That’s the reason why, Ten argues with his chief editor, that the very first thing he’s doing after getting released by the police is to conduct an interview with the greatest detective the nation has ever seen. 

“You’re some kind of amazing,” he says as Jaehyun sprawls all his congratulatory flowers on top of the table that separates them with such a force that it shakes while he takes his seat. Ten has heard a lot about how rough he is in handling even everyday items but he’s sure that this display of strength is meant to intimidate him. “The Detective That Took Down The Notorious Scam Syndicate—that kind of headline only comes once in a century.” 

Jaehyun sends him a half-hearted smirk as he sits down and looks directly at him. “Thanks to you, I guess.” 

Ten starts carefully spinning his pen as he sets his recording equipment, careful to make sure that it is not turned on. 

“Me?” Ten starts, “I did nothing of value at all. In fact I would argue that I actually did impede your progress. Remember that time you mistook me for a perp?”

“And got me suspended from the case? Definitely. Hope it didn’t leave a lasting scar, don’t want the captain holding a grudge on me.” 

“Oh no, no,” Ten waves Jaehyun off whimsically. This exchange is saying everything he would ever need to know about Jaehyun’s current knowledge of the depth of his real involvement with the Bandits. “Definitely not. You’re the apple of the captain’s eyes after all.” 

“My god, no, you flatter me too much.”

“Judging by all the gifts on this table,” Ten says, letting his eyes scan through the table full of flowers and forming a subtle action that’s meant to complete the sentence. “If anything I might not have flattered you enough.” 

Jaehyun looks like he catches Ten’s drift and begins contemplating his next move.

“So,” Ten taps his phone to signal that he’s going to be starting his recording anytime soon, “for someone with your kind of loyalty, what happened on the day when you were called back to the case?” 

“I was out,” Jaehyun answers simply. “And about.” 

“My sources informed me that you were at the field outside a research facility near the border. Tailing Yuta—sorry, _the perp,_ I assume?”

“Technically speaking, I was still in Captain Moon’s team when that happened—isn’t that out of this interview’s scope?”

Ten raises a finger and points steadfast upwards, a gesture that never fails to stop or redirect the conversation whenever it strays towards a direction he’s not amused by. 

“You’re the one being interviewed but I’m the one with the leverage here,” Ten reminds him. “I’m the reason why you made that catch, you see? Especially the reason why we can make solid charges at him.” 

Jaehyun narrows his eyes and bears them onto Ten, trying to force him into putting all hands on deck. 

“He wasn’t meant to be just a _catch,_ am I right?”

Ten replies with his brand of the usual knowing smirk. “I still have that IOU, in case you forgot.” 

Jaehyun’s eyes begin to quiver in excitement, as though the forceful redirection of the topic has just tickled that part of his bone that reacts to competition. 

“Of course, of course,” Jaehyun says, letting a little chuckle pepper his words. “It’s hard to forget that you’re the reason why I even have a catch—and well, the lay— to begin with.”

“Then again it happened because of your captain asking me to introduce you to someone, so I hope the lay is good at least, despite everything.”

“I won’t go into details on that but I’m just thinking that it wouldn’t have happened if you were more careful about your so-called _information breach_ so that you’re less susceptible to extortion.” 

Ten clicks and unclicks his pen to draw the attention away from his grinning lips and pauses long enough that Jaehyun is made aware of his refusal to concede. 

“Regardless, I still signed up for this and I do have a lot of things to thank you for,” Jaehyun offers, “me and the rest of the squad. We got the perps and we got the artefacts and everyone is happy. So let’s make a bargain, shall we?” 

“Sure,” Ten agrees, a little perversely pleased that Jaehyun knows the exact chips to put on the table that would interest him. “I don’t mind a little trade-off.” 

Jaehyun leans close slowly and lets Ten watch the gradual appearance of the chiseled charm. “You can get me to say anything, in-scope or out-of-scope, but in exchange—”

“You sure about that? There’s not a lot I can offer that you don’t already know.” 

“—I need all the information that you have in your hand about the involvement of the 4 Bandit victims in the human trafficking ring.” 

Ten tries his best to not balk away from the proposal. 

“I see,” he says. “That kind of information will fetch a high price, you know? Especially when you consider the amount of work and coaxing and coercing and bribing I had to go through—the drug cartels are especially not a very friendly bunch.” 

“I know,” Jaehyun nods with a smirk, “but the fact that you’re still sitting here unpunished—did you really think you’re being let off the hook that easily?”

“Well I did wonder if you guys wanted something from me, gotta be honest.” 

“Then we’re good.”

“But just so we’re clear, I need everything chronologically: from your suspension from the case to the research you did while in suspension—online and offline—to the very suspicious place you were at when you were called to return to duty and I would also need everything that happened during all your encounters with Yuta.” 

“Everything?”

“Yes, _everything.”_

“You know that’s going to just end up making me into something that’s the opposite of _scandalous_ , right?”

“Oh yeah, of course,” Ten winks, “once the general populace knows about the exact way you managed to trap the Bandits, it’s going to spawn copycat actors for everyone who has been wanting to get your attention, you know?” 

“You flatter me again,” Jaehyun smirks. “So you really want _everything.”_

“Of course,” Ten rummages his bag for his pack of cigarettes and picks up one to light it. “The official story is of course, for the paper, but the unofficial one is where I’m going to score big bucks from.” 

“You’re going to profit off it, I see.” 

Ten takes a puff from the freshly-lit cigarette. “Of course. It makes a good blockbuster erotic thriller.” 

Jaehyun licks his lips, obviously calculating how much he could divulge. 

“You sound exactly like the Captain.”

“Oh?” 

“We once talked about how this thing has the makings of a film noir.” 

“He’s right and you have the looks for it too.” 

“That’s also what he said as well.” 

At that, they both burst into spontaneous laughter. 

“So, what do you think,” Ten finally says, holding out a hand and Jaehyun shakes it, a cunning smile sweeping across his face. 

“You got yourself a deal.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 95_ **

The head nurse seems a little shocked that Doyoung isn’t at the hospital for duty. 

“That’s a little out of character,” Joy says in a tone that sort of invites yet another joke that references Pokemon, but Doyoung is too nervous to even think of one. “Whoever you’re planning on meeting today, they must be special.” 

“Well,” Doyoung says plainly as he catches a view of Taeyong kneeling beside an elderly woman, seemingly talking to her in sign language. He’s smiling brightly at her, likely in an attempt to provide comfort before she returns back to her ward and Doyoung is hit with an unwelcoming thought about the viability of using convicted felons as volunteers in a hospital. This lady sure is lucky that Taeyong seems to know what he’s doing, he thinks, because he sure can’t say the same for some of the past cases. 

“Oh,” Joy exclaims. “You’re here for our new community service worker. That settles it, then.” 

“I caught him, by the way,” Doyoung says and Joy nods in acknowledgement. It’s not uncommon to see police officers visiting their so-called “rehabilitating” perps, especially the ones caught in unintentional crimes or accidental offences, but it’s usually not Doyoung’s habit to do it on his day off. 

Taeyong’s smile fades away when he sees him however, a demeanour Doyoung should have seen coming, but he forces the smile back to his face as Taeyong settles the lady back to her bed and flatly tells Doyoung that his shift will only end in an hour. 

“That’s fine,” Doyoung shrugs. “I’ll wait for you on the bench under the rain tree.” 

Taeyong turns away blankly, leaving Doyoung on his own and he decides to take a short detour to the small Starbucks at the cafeteria before waiting at the promised bench, re-thinking and re-rehearsing what he has been itching to tell Taeyong outside the call of duty. He reminds himself that this isn’t a conversation about apologies, because more than anything, Doyoung has to make it clear that he has never lied about the amount of pride he has for his job and the role he plays in safeguarding the society as they know it. He also reminds himself that this isn’t supposed to be a conversation to reach a form of reconciliation, because he has never expected that both of them will ever come to an understanding; not between a cop and a criminal, not even between a cop and a pretend struggling artist. 

But if it's to be a conversation between two people who had enjoyed some intimate time together—Doyoung doesn’t feel like completing the thoughts, because Taeyong arrives two hours later. 

“Keeping tabs on me?” Taeyong says casually, obviously not at all apologetic for making Doyoung wait on purpose. The surveillance bracelet band is still obediently fixed around Taeyong’s wrist, Doyoung notices. 

“I’m off duty today,” Doyoung points to his badgeless chest then pats at the seat next to him to invite Taeyong to sit down, only for Taeyong to roll his eyes stubbornly. “But yeah, keeping tabs on you, whatever you want to call it.” 

“I actually like this job, in case you’re looking for signs of retaliation.” 

“Even if you like entertaining grannies, it doesn’t make you a reformed case,” Doyoung snorts. “It just makes you a wannabe reform who likes entertaining grannies.” 

“Whatever,” Taeyong says, fidgeting in his stance and ready to leave anytime. “It’s lunchtime now, if you don’t mind.”

“I got you your favourite pink drink,” Doyoung says as he hands him the beverage. “The ice is all melted now though, through no fault of mine.” 

Taeyong’s expression hardens as he considers his options, then seemingly decides that taking the drink is also a form of fulfilling his grudge. 

“Thanks,” he says, not entirely meaning it and still refusing to sit next to Doyoung. “Don’t think the police will be that much of a snake to poison a felon under probation in broad daylight.” 

“Of course not,” Doyoung chuckles. “And that’s from my own money, by the way. I’m not reimbursing.” 

“Am I supposed to thank you? For a drink? That doesn’t cost much?” 

“No,” Doyoung says, “can I not want to just, you know, talk with you?” 

“We talked enough,” Taeyong snaps, referring to the many days of interrogation. 

“That was between a cop on duty with a perp—now it’s just between a man with another man,” Doyoung proposes, “but well, I’m just going to say it anyway.” 

“Say what?” 

“That your partner Yuta is going to be allowed visitors in a week or so,” Doyoung announces. “He’s surprisingly cooperative sometimes.” 

“That _sometimes_ being anytime your lady-killer partner talked to him,” Taeyong cackles, as though trying to instigate some competitiveness in Doyoung. Sometimes Doyoung feels like Taeyong gets high from seeing him aggravated. “Can’t blame him though, your partner is a very fine man.” 

“You’re free to go after him,” Doyoung replies nonchalantly. “I sensed some chemistry between you two.” 

Taeyong’s eyes often reveal a lot more than what he says, so right now Doyoung can see through his apparent apathy and notice that he’s just as nervous as he is, his cold sniping remarks only serving to provide a cover for the fact that he hasn’t expected anything close to resembling cordiality from Doyoung. 

He takes an intentionally loud sip of his iced americano to dilute the tension. “I’ll never say this on duty,” he changes the topic, “but you really have some marvellous skills.” 

“In what,” Taeyong blushes, probably assuming that Doyoung was referring to something else. 

Doyoung finds his reaction amusing and contemplates letting his imagination run wild for a little, but decides to be clear. “Your skills in stealing, of course.” 

“Huh,” Taeyong looks confused. “On duty or not, is this even something appropriate to say? Ethically speaking?”

“I’m serious,” Doyoung asserts. “If it wasn’t because Yuta was trying to get you both freed, you guys would have probably escaped.” 

“That’s not what the official reports said.” 

“The official reports barely scratched the surface of what went down,” Doyoung says. “That piece of information is barely anything revealing—because who really needs anything else but a handsome policeman who caught the notorious Bandits and retrieved all the stolen national arfetacts with pure deductive ability. The remaining is up to the public imagination, but I’ve always fancied knowing that the real details are a lot juicier than the official reports.” 

“If you’re coming here to tell me that Yuta is allowed visitors just to taunt me about how I’m not allowed to talk to my partner,” Taeyong hisses in mild annoyance, “you can keep it.” 

“Oh no, you can,” Doyoung now moves to rummage his pocket for a piece of paper, “all you need to do is just draw a picture of me and send some coded message or whatever and I’ll pass it to him on your behalf. The same way you did when you gave me those clues when you tried to get Yuta arrested.” 

Doyoung hands Taeyong a crumpled piece of draft art that Jaehyun had handed over to him, the one that Taeyong had apparently had left besides his computer that he probably didn’t even realise was missing. It must be one of those that Yuta took for the purpose of analysing his handwriting or for his DNA samples, Doyoung is thinking, not realising that Jaehyun is a lot less of a pushover than he has expected. 

“You still owe me a proper portrait of the left side of my face by the way,” he says, jolting Taeyong awake from his deep contemplation. 

“No, I don’t?” Taeyong questions, and Doyoung wonders if he had successfully wiped out all their “cafe dates” from his subconsciousness out of sheer trauma. 

“You didn’t,” Doyoung says, rising up from his seat to empty his cup before sending it to the trash can a few steps away and starts taking his leave. “But now you do.” 

Taeyong waits for Doyoung to be at least a few metres away before calling him back. 

“Are you really doing it for me?”

Doyoung takes a slow turn to face him and Taeyong’s eyes quiver in uncertainty, visibly shaken by Doyoung’s gesture. 

“Yes,” Doyoung’s face wears a smile that he hopes Taeyong would be able to interpret as a product of a sincere reparative effort. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 96_ **

Mark knew from the first few encounters that Donghyuck—no, _Haechan,_ would make a splendid tutor and it has less to do with his spectacular ways with children and more to do with his ability to win any challenge. According to the orphanage matron, despite having only been there for a few days, Haechan has allegedly won trivia quizzes, dance battles, freestyle rap challenges, and whatever random ass games the kids came up with. 

“His presence has greatly cheered them up,” Yeri says as she laughs at the look of disbelief on Mark’s face while escorting him to the classroom where Haechan is holding an interactive game segment. “Your awkwardness with the kids is solely your problem, just so you know.” 

Haechan is just wrapping up when he arrives, so he doesn’t have to wait long before taking him to a cafeteria nearby to complete the first of many weekly observation reports. 

“It’s been dreadfully boring,” Haechan complains, shaking the surveillance bracelet he’s wearing on his wrist. It’s the same bracelet that has been dispensed for Taeyong as well, serving to monitor their activities for the next 6 months until they are done serving their probation period and completing their mandatory community services. Haechan’s band, however, has an additional feature of detecting electronic devices because he has been banned from using them, especially anything that can access the internet. 

“Is that why you’ve been challenging the kids?” Mark asks as he fills in the part of his report that requires him to describe any signs of mild or predictive retaliatory behaviour. 

“Part of it,” Haechan says, raising his shoulders in a half-shrug. “But mostly because I can’t stay still, you see. I have a permanent need for brain stimuli.” 

“I guess now you know how Joe must have felt,” Mark snipes. “Two months was a long ass time.” 

“I love how you’re more concerned about the trespassing than the, well,” Haechan responds, “the hacking stuff.” 

Mark vividly recalls that Jaehyun once mused to him about his personal theory of selective severity—about how a crime is punished with leniency in relative to the proximity to power and how the longer the law enforcement body allows it to happen, the faster it is in enacting a new world order where the rich becomes the new monarchy. He feels like Haechan would have some interesting takes on the conversation, except he’s not about to be philosophical with someone who thought it would be fun to mess with him just because he once owned him in a Reddit argument. 

“Correction,” Haechan had said when Mark made that conclusion, _“I_ was the one who ultimately delivered the owning.” 

“That’s a lot of bullshit for someone who’s about to be considered for a probation,” Mark was jabbing back, feeling absolutely foolish for having once thought of Haechan as potentially gifted, even if misguided, because now he’s just seeing him as a nuisance with an irritating affinity for getting on people’s nerves. 

“Because the hacking stuff has been well-handled,” Mark says, deliberately drawing his attention to the electronic bracelet, “while Joe still thinks of you as some form of angel.” 

“That’s because I am,” Haechan insists. “Didn’t he say I was his best worker?” 

“They have a name for symptoms like that.” 

“I know, Stokholm’s Syndrome, or something. That’s like Psychology 101, please don’t be condescending.”

“I knew you would know it.” 

“Of course,” Haechan winks as Mark signs his report after completing the last question. “If there’s one thing you should know—people who can hack are likely some of the smartest people on earth.” 

“And yet even they fall prey to the art of deceit,” Mark snaps back and regretting almost immediately after seeing an uncharacteristic sort of murky gloom darkening his usually bright disposition. 

“Yuta didn’t deceive us,” he insists in a soft, firm voice. “I wish you guys would stop saying that.” 

Mark takes a careful glance at Haechan’s wavering expression, suddenly noticing just how young he is and something in him somewhat feels a little relieved that he’s being made to tutor young children during his rehabilitory journey. 

“I should take you to church sometimes,” Mark says before leaving.

“Ew,” Haechan’s face suddenly contorting into an expression of absolute revulsion, “absolutely not.” 

“As your supervisor,” Mark asserts, puffing up his chest to accentuate the badge pinned on it, “I’m granted the prerogative to task you with anything I deem necessary as part of your roadmap into reintegrating back into society.” 

“Ugh, fucking tyrants,” Haechan quips. 

“I told you,” Mark says, finally seeing himself tasting the sensation that comes with successfully one-upping Haechan, “the hacking part has been well-handled.” 

Haechan rolls his eyes but Mark thinks that he hasn't mistaken the look of gratification gradually showing on the upwards curve of his lips, because it’s the look of a brilliant mind having met its intellectual match and Mark decides that he should allow himself this moment to be flattered by this unexpected appraisal. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 97_ **

Jaehyun can’t believe that he’s only noticing it now—but this is the first time he’s seeing Yuta dressed in a stereotypically male getup. 

“You look—” he says, struggling to put his thoughts into words. It doesn’t turn him off as much as it fascinates him, because it’s so strange to be finally seeing Yuta functioning as a normal man, unkempt and unshaven and a bit of a mess. Frankly, Jaehyun thinks to himself, it’s the kind of sight that makes him wonder if God was real, because Yuta’s looking a lot more beautiful now in his state of disarray in the interrogation room than when he was fully dolled up under the neon lights. 

“Like a fucking mess,” Yuta whines. “I haven’t shaved for days.” 

“—I was about to say _gorgeous as usual,”_ Jaehyun teases, “but alright. Whatever you said. A mess.” 

“Are you making fun of me?” 

“Nope, I wasn’t,” he says. “I’m not about to get distracted by another challenge before I can complete what I’m supposed to do.” 

“I’m not going to challenge you,” Yuta says as he slumps on to the desk. “It’s just that—”

“It’s just that what?” Jaehyun asks when he settles down in the seat opposite him. He finds it a little funny that the Bandits still end up being assigned to their original “handlers”: Doyoung having to visit Taeyong (a task that Jaehyun couldn’t help but notice Doyoung’s lack of objection for), Mark having to supervise Haechan (a task that Mark would much rather Jeno have) and him having to slowly coax out information out of Yuta. 

“—I’m so bored,” Yuta says, displaying the kind of petulance that’s only meant for an audience of one: him. 

Jaehyun gives him his signature tiny chuckle and leans forward. “But you’ve talked to my other squad members, haven’t you?” 

“And they have been far less entertaining than you are,” Yuta says, his chin on top of his arm, looking up at him. Doyoung, Mark and Jeno have all reported having questioned a man of extreme composure, with an uncanny ability to articulate with dignity and coherence even in the face of intimidation.

“I see,” Jaehyun playfully tempts. “Do you like them?”

“Kind of,” Yuta replies after holding his taunting gaze for a few seconds. “Doyoung is kinda off-limits though, because I’m a nice partner.” 

“Oh? You guys have rules.” 

“Of course,” Yuta scoots forward. “We don’t go after the same man.” 

“That’s too bad, then,” Jaehyun drawls as he writes his observation report. “I was thinking of asking the Captain to make a visit to you.” 

“That tall, big one?” Yuta perks up. 

“Your type?” 

“Not really, I’m just restless.” 

“That’s a fancy word for _horny.”_

“Yea, well, because Mark is a little too cute and Jeno is a little too young,” Yuta complains. “Can’t you do something?”

“I’m working,” Jaehyun puts simply. “I’m sure you still remember how I was when I’m at my job.” 

“Not really,” Yuta smiles coyly. “Because you at your not-working state has been all I think about.” 

“Unfortunately though,” he replies, “even that was me working. The swimming pool, the phone call, that speeding car, the Starbucks office, the toilet—it was all me being at work.” 

Yuta pouts. “You’re boring.” 

Before Jaehyun could take his eyes off the paper he’s writing on, he realises that Yuta has his feet in between his legs, his toes now brushing against the seams of his jeans. He freezes in his seat and lets him rub liberally, trying to discreetly spy at the location of the cameras and wondering if the small twitches coming from his lower body is visible through the low grade lenses, suddenly thankful that the ones installed in the interrogation room are mostly there to capture general behavioral patterns and responses towards intimidation. 

Yuta seems to delight in his successful attempt in petrifying him, because his head now drops to his elbow as he senses the swelling between Jaehyun’s legs and drops his foot, then uses both of his to take Jaehyun’s foot to his crotch and makes it stroke his erection. 

“Why are you looking at me like that,” Yuta asks, clearly taunting him back. “You should continue working.” 

Jaehyun’s fingers struggle to hold his pen in place as he tries to stop himself from succumbing to the needs of his own abandoned erection and instead chooses to focus on Yuta’s ecstasy-laden face, wondering what stage of nirvana he’s in right now, having achieved the impossible task of pleasuring himself right as the law enforcement body have their hawk eyes fixed on him, mentally cursing at every stroke his foot is making and at every second his own erection isn’t calming down. 

Yuta’s body shakes a little when he ejaculates and he smiles at Jaehyun contentedly. 

“Like you said,” he coos, “you’re working.” 

He’s so fucking incredible, Jaehyun thinks, because right now all his mind can focus on is all the many ways they have been sneakily fornicating as they fooled around with laws of propriety and everything that reminds him of how he’s no longer the same man that he was before he met Yuta, because his old self would have shoved Yuta aside and keep him locked behind bars while his current self is mentally replaying the sounds that Yuta makes when he has his erection deep inside him and the taste of his wet kisses and the heat of his body when he comes and—

Jaehyun stands up immediately to conclude the current session, rushes off to the bathroom and finishes off the job that Yuta has started, forcibly making his mind concentrate on pivoting towards his goals rather than his needs: make a rock solid case to prosecute the four Bandit victims on charges of white collar crimes through their involvement in the human trafficking ring, appeal for Yuta’s release due to his so-called role in providing evidences and eventually, quit a stable life of law-abiding in exchange for an adventure in lawlessness with Yuta. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 100, morning before the escape_ **

No matter how many of these meetings he has gone through, John is just never going to get used to how nerve-wrecking those meetings can be and right now even more so, especially when it’s about the final decision to dismiss his most celebrated detective. 

“It’s unfortunate,” the Chief said. “I’m really reluctant to demote you or your entire squad for not being able to figure out that the Bandits that we have in custody had the fake artefacts, especially after letting you take the credits for their capture.” He’s referring to Ten’s video messages to the police HQ, an infiltration years in the making. John knows that he isn’t at all qualified to be talking about mingling with the wrong parties, but there’s something just ironic in the callous way the higher-ups are discussing the career destruction of an officer who had, before this, done nothing but try his best for the law enforcing body he belongs to. 

It leaves a taste as bitter as bile in his mouth. 

“You don’t have to do it,” the Chief continued. “You can tell him in person, but I’ll do it officially. Make sure that he’s ready to face the consequences for being caught destroying evidence.” 

John bows, then mentally recounts the series of events that he has planned for the next 12 hours, grateful that the police have yet to invent a device that is capable of reading thoughts. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 98_ **

Jaehyun waits until he reaches the boiler room to start kicking at the walls. 

“FUCK,” he almost yells and John has to grab him to stop him from injuring his feet. 

They just got out of the briefing where John had to tearfully announce to the squad that Ten has escaped the country, likely to East Europe, because his flight details showed him landing in Barcelona, except he only has only been spotted in one surveillance camera in the airport before disappearing into a car. 

“He’s definitely going to a place where there’s no extradition policy,” John groans, equally as frustrated. Jaehyun thinks that he should extend his empathy more towards his superior, especially because John now has both his achievements and his love life forcibly taken apart by the same man with just one action: running away with the trove of evidence that Jaehyun has been asking for and the real artefacts that were stolen by the Bandits—but he’s too preoccupied with the futility of his own actions to care. 

“How the hell did we not see that coming,” Jaehyun curses, “and after all I did to bargain with him.” 

John then tosses out the half-smoked cigarette across the room. 

“I’ll think of a way,” he says, hands still shaking and Jaehyun’s thinking that he should be around to provide some support, but now he feels like he’s never going to get over the frustration of never standing a chance to be with Yuta ever again and that—

—more than anything, is making him want to detonate the whole building if it means being able to break Yuta out of his confinement. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 100, 30 minutes before the escape_ **

Doyoung doesn’t know how to tell Mark to get it together, because the Captain has specifically mentioned that the details should only stay between the three of them—him and Jaehyun and of course, the captain himself. 

“You can’t be doing this,” Doyoung hears Mark mumble and he has to fight his urges to pat him on the back, so he focuses on forming an emotion that’s the closest to determined disappointment while Jaehyun takes his time to strip away every single article on his clothing that has come to define him: first his GPS tracker, then his gun and finally, the shining, gleaming badge that Jaehyun was fiddling with when they were discussing in the hidden boiler room that has functioned as a host to Jaehyun and the Captain’s secret discussions. 

In his defence though, he still hasn’t forgiven both of them for having excluded him out of their major so-called undercover missions prior to having the Bandits in custody and some now under probation, so it doesn’t take a long time for a disapproving scowl to show up on his face—something that apparently only serves to upset Mark further.

“So,” he says when he sees him outside the headquarters’ gate, locking his eyes in a knowing glance, “we’re really about to do this?” 

“Please,” Jaehyun hides a smirk under a pretend frown to prevent the building’s cameras from capturing his glee. “I can’t wait.” 

“No further details,” Doyoung immediately says. “I don’t want to hear anything else.” 

“Except I never said anything?” 

“Because it’s all on your face, dumbass,” Doyoung barks. 

“Oh no,” Jaehyun’s shoulders rise a little to contain his amusement. “Don’t let him hear you say that, he’s going to think we had something.” 

“Who? Yuta?”

“Well.” 

“I wouldn’t fuck you even if you were the last man alive, you can trust me on that.” 

Jaehyun stops when they are far enough from the building and turns to give Doyoung that look he gave Taeyong when he interrogated him. 

“One of these days,” he says, his voice deep and sultry, “once everything is over—shall we?”

“What? Fuck?” 

“Would you?” 

Doyoung rolls his eyes. “You know I can accuse you of sexually harassing a police officer on duty, right?”

Jaehyun laughs heartily as a battered car arrives to pick him up and takes a last look at him before winding up the window of the passenger seat. 

“Yet you didn’t refuse.” 

“You’re insane.” 

“He would like it very much, you know?” Jaehyun grins stupidly. “It would be his dream to see you on top of me.” 

The car drives off before Doyoung could have any last word in. 

  
  
  
  
  


**_Day 101_ **

For someone so flighty, Yuta sure has a surprisingly sentimental side of him, because he asked for Jaehyun to stop by at that exact place they were once at, the place where the taxi driver Yuta had hired had gone to. He claimed that it was because it was the place where he had felt the happiest in forever; but Jaehyun thinks that it’s because it’s where they can see the border from where they are. 

“The taste of freedom,” Yuta says, lying on top of a piece of mat from the old, battered car, sprawled across the bonnet, “feels a little like your kisses.”

“Really,” Jaehyun asks, finding himself unexpectedly quite enjoying being on the run that he’s now wondering why he was that adamant about clearing up Yuta’s records. Besides, he should have known that their kisses would taste a lot blander if he had gone through his original plan—because they are now letting their tongues have a free reign on each other’s bodies, touching each other like every skin contact could be the last. 

Yuta was the more excited between them when he picked him up after breaking him out of his solitary confinement that Jaehyun had to stop him from wanting to have a go at each other right away and convinced him that they needed to at least leave the city, something that Jaehyun almost failed until Yuta suggested that Jaehyun let him pretend to be his pregnant girlfriend to go through a police roadblock. 

“Wow, Sir,” the officer was saying, probably still unaware that Jaehyun had been fired, “I didn’t know that you had a girlfriend,” and Jaehyun smiled reluctantly later because the officer followed it up with a whisper, “damn, she’s a knockout too.”

Yuta was also the one who had been the one to decide where they are stopping by now, because it would be the perfect location, he argued and Jaehyun is now realising the reasoning behind the decision as he pushes his tongue inside Yuta’s mouth and their collective weight shakes the car slightly as the gentle wind gathers a soft cloud of sand around them. 

“Let’s do it,” Yuta says, eyes sparkling like the morning stars in spite of his obvious hunger. 

Jaehyun lets their limbs intertwine, then kisses him deeper. “I guess I’m going to have to get used to this now.” 

Yuta tugs at his belt buckle and starts removing it. “Get used to what?”

“Just, well,” Jaehyun says in between Yuta’s gasps when he drives himself in rapidly, demonstrating his infatuation with the game they are playing now, the endless flirtation with the kind of high that precedes a definite downfall—except this time they are playing the game together, like two incurable filth that are more than happy to be damned into an eternity of fugitive life. “Having to fuck like we are near the end of time.” 

“What are you talking about,” Yuta responds, giggling like nothing brings him greater happiness than being back in Jaehyun’s arm, “I’ve always been fucking you like it would be the last time you’d ever get inside me.” 

“I love how you make my mind spin every time you say something like that.” 

“Something like what?” Yuta asks giddily, his hips bucking up as Jaehyun gets closer to his climax. 

“About how you like having me so much,” Jaehyun answers after he gives one last hard thrust before spilling out and presses back in to kiss him so deep that he pants for air. He wonders if John had taken this into account when he had explained his crazy ass plan to him, orchestrating an escape for just him and Yuta in order to track Ten. Maybe Doyoung would have, he thinks, even though he’s pretty sure that Doyoung is currently too busy planning his way to regain Taeyong back into his life. 

But that, he concludes internally, is what differentiates between them—Doyoung is the kind that would painstakingly construct a heaven to ease Taeyong back in while Jaehyun willingly takes Yuta on a rollercoaster to hell. 

“And me,” Yuta reciprocates, his mouth sucking at Jaehyun’s exposed nipple lovingly, “I love it whenever you fuck me so hard that my body spins.” Yuta says it with a face so angelic that Jaehyun’s mind is summoning back the argument he was having with himself, on whether they would have been something else under a more normal circumstances; one which wouldn’t have them meeting as two depraved individuals obsessed with finding ways to screw with each encounter—literally, metaphorically, mentally, physically. They could have perhaps found ways to fall in love with each other normally but he supposes that he would have to make do with what he has now, something like the explosion of the most beautiful disaster that makes him feel like he’s on the top of the fucking world whenever they kiss. 

So he allows Yuta to fully take over their narrative now while he takes the driver seat in this thing they are doing with each other, and indulges him when he says that he wants to take him raw on top of a car near the border of the city where they could be spotted easily for being on the run, goes a little faster when he wants to, fuck him sideways just because he says so, fuck him hard enough to shake the car just because he feels like swaying and Jaehyun thinks how this is going to be his life now and maybe this is the ideal outcome for them, being on the top of the fucking world and holding on to each other like they will never find anyone more perfect. 

Yuta turns his body around as climbs higher so that his head is now resting on the roof of the car and Jaehyun grinds back in, slowly this time, and takes his time buried in his nape while the car plays The Carpenters and the cloud of sand settles enough for them to watch the evening sun turns a gradual shade of scarlet.

It’s an experience so gentle that it almost convinces Jaehyun that there’s heaven even amidst the fires of hell—but then Yuta abruptly grabs him down for a violent kiss and Jaehyun comes immediately before a deafening flash of light bangs from the direction of the border gate. By the time Jaehyun breaks the kiss, Yuta’s smile grows wider and wider while Jaehyun looks on with a mix of abject horror and fascination, realising that he actually likes what he’s seeing right now: 

The sight of the most beautiful kind of destruction ever, serving as a living metaphor of Yuta’s way of fulfilling both his promise and Jaehyun’s anger-fueled fantasy that he didn’t intend to actually see happening, 

“Lovely, isn’t it,” Yuta says, “I timed it perfectly too.”

Yuta says it like he’s demanding praise for something trivial and finally Jaehyun feels it—that high that comes from the culmination of the union of their unique brands of beautiful disaster, the kind that they can only feel with each other. 

“And you’re still so hard,” Yuta’s face flushes as he wraps his arms around Jaehyun. “I really love that about you.”

He grabs Yuta for a slow, deep-tongued kiss, wordlessly agreeing with him as the world burns brightly in front of them. 

  
  
  
  


**_Day 99_ **

John hands him the portable device that contains all the destroyed evidence, a handphone that was registered under a fake name and a paper containing all his secret contacts from all over the country. 

“Tattoo them on your body, sew them into your jackets, whatever,” John instructs. 

“Are we sure about this?” Jaehyun asks. “Wouldn’t it be better for us to wait for the Chief to launch a direct operation to track down Ten?”

“Nobody is launching anything,” John says, clearly disturbed by the outcome of the meeting he just had. “The priority is now on keeping the closure of the case and the complete disbandment of the Benevolent Bandits intact, obviously omitting the part where there’s a fucking journalist who ran away with the national treasures.” 

“The _fuck_ ,” Jaehyun mutters. “So they are just going to let Ten hold them hostage like that?” he continues, referring to the message that Ten had sent to the police. 

“Because the entire upper echelon is at stake now,” John hisses. “Launch an _open_ investigation and Ten releases that binders of pictures and tapes, but if we launch a _secret_ investigation, Ten would get hold of the info about it by any means and the binders get released anyway—but not doing anything means that any accidental leaking of any information later gets blamed on the squad, because _I’m_ the one who had announced the capture of the Bandits on camera.”

Jaehyun understands John now, because the pain of being a mid-level leader is that he would always be suffocated by conflicting priorities and now that he’s potentially being thrown under the bus, he has seemingly decided that he would go under the bus voluntarily. 

“So that’s it, I’m going to _be_ a Bandit,” Jaehyun realises, “because unless someone who wasn’t in the negotiation table starts moving, the players will remain frozen in place.” 

“Yes—with this, the Bandits are going to be still on the run, so we will have to announce the reopening of the case and most importantly Ten would have to then seek you and Yuta out.”

Jaehyun takes a deep breath and looks at the sky around them. 

“So,” he nods, “I’m going to have to do this now. I’m going to get dismissed, then you’re going to help me release Yuta from his cell and I’m going to have to grab some abandoned car to pick him up and we’ll basically ride our way to the sunset.” 

“Not just me,” John says. “I’m getting Doyoung in as well.” 

“Ah,” Jaehyun says, wondering if Doyoung would be happy to finally usurp him as the best detective in the squad. 

“Sorry, buddy,” John softens his tone, “the other two were released on probation, so—”

“Don’t worry,” Jaehyun says, “he’s crazy enough for this. I bet you he’s going to be _thrilled_.” 

“Who?”

“Yuta.” 

“Aight,” John says. “When this is all over, take a month off for a vacation or something.” 

“When this is all over,” Jaehyun declares, “I think I’m quitting.” 

“Why?” 

“I have had enough I guess,” Jaehyun sighs, “and I’ve kind of entertained thoughts of being a writer, who knows.” 

“A book?”

“Yea, an erotic crime triller I think. Fortunately for me, I kept the juiciest details from Ten, so my version of it would be even better than the one he’s thinking of selling—if he still is planning on doing that, that is.” 

“Got a title yet?” 

Jaehyun smiles as he exhales, the puff of cigarette forming a circle in front of him. 

“Tentatively, _On The Top of the Fucking World_.” 

John holds out his hand for him to shake. 

“And it already sounds like a blockbuster.” 

Jaehyun smiles back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- alright, this section is personal but if you reached here, i would like to thank you for reading!  
> \- this is the LONGEST fic i've ever written, the most convoluted, and the most adventurous and the one that moved me so far from my comfort zone that it took me SO LONG to be comfortable with it  
> \- i have no idea that longfics are this difficult..........never trying it again /cries  
> \- if you do have any feedback or criticism do let me know honestly! i don't mind them  
> \- again, thank you so much for making it this far  
> \- please know that i appreciate you SO MUCH


End file.
